NEW DELHI: The drone-heavy lessons from Operation Sindoor has given fresh impetus to Defence Research and Development Organisation’s laser-weapon programme, with the defence R&D agency now inviting Indian industry to help develop a new laser system to counter unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Its Hyderabad-based Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS), has invited bids for development and integration of a multi-kilowatt Spectral Beam Combined (SBC) laser source, beam director and diagnostic stations, sources in the defence establishment said.
The selected firm will have to complete the project with DRDO within 240 days of the contract being inked.
"The new project is aimed at taking DRDO’s laser capability beyond the 30 kW-class system it demonstrated last year. DRDO will provide the optical design. The industry partner will handle the mechanical structure, electronics, command-and-control module, software and system integration,” a source said.
But unlike the 10 kW laser programme, the selected firm will not be a Development-cum-Production Partner (DcPP).
"For now, we have specifically ruled out a production agency for the project. The government will retain the intellectual property (IP), while the development partner will have to hand over its design data and know-how to a production agency nominated later by the government. In other words, winning the development contract will not guarantee the firm the production order," the source added.
The move also comes as DRDO increasingly turns to industry to develop and eventually manufacture advanced weapon systems. B.K. Das, Director General (Electronics and Communication Systems), said earlier this month that DRDO would begin selecting a production partner for its 30 kW-class counter-drone laser within six months.
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and state-run Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) are already DcPPs for the 10 kW system. Hyderabad-based Apollo Micro Systems, meanwhile, received approval in December for technology transfer of CHESS’s 10 kW laser.
The push for laser weapons has gained urgency as militaries grapple with swarms of relatively cheap drones that can force the use of far costlier interceptors. During Operation Sindoor, Pakistan used drones to probe Indian air-defence positions, prompting the deployment of air-defence systems and interceptors.
Lasers offer a different equation. They can engage targets at the speed of light and do not require a conventional interceptor for every engagement. DRDO has said firing its laser for a few seconds costs roughly as much as a few litres of petrol.
CHESS had demonstrated its 30 kW-class Mk-II(A) laser last year, when the system defeated a fixed-wing drone and a drone swarm, causing structural damage and disabling surveillance sensors. The system has an engagement range of up to 5 km, according to DRDO.
Furthermore, the 2 kW first-generation laser system is already in production, while the Army and IAF are planning procurement of the 10 kW system, which can engage drones at ranges of up to 2 km.
However, lasers are not a replacement for conventional air defence. Rain, dust and haze can weaken the beam, while the laser must remain accurately focused on the target for several seconds. They are therefore being developed as another layer in Project Sudarshan Chakra.
