003- Apr 14, 2025
🔦 MK-II(A) LASER WEAPON SYSTEM: India’s Entry into Directed Energy Warfare
Theme & Tags:
🛡️ Defence Technology, Drone Warfare, Indigenous Innovation, Futuristic Weapons
📘 Category: Defence & Technology | GS Paper 3
🔍 Opening Whisper
Not every war cry is loud—some whisper with the fire of light, burning through silence.
🔑 Key Highlights
- What Was Achieved?
- DRDO successfully trialled Mk-II(A) Laser-Directed Energy Weapon (DEW)
- Date of announcement: April 13, 2025
- Places India among the few nations with operational high-power laser weapons
🔬 About the Mk-II(A) DEW System
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Neutralises drones, missiles, sensors |
| Technology | Laser beam travels at speed of light |
| Detection System | Inbuilt Electro-Optic (EO) + radar support |
| Targets | Drones, sensors, aerial surveillance systems |
| Deployment | Fixed-wing drone countermeasures, swarm defence |
💸 Cost Efficiency
- Firing cost = as low as a few litres of petrol
- Significantly cheaper than missiles or bullets
- Ideal for long-term defence against low-cost threats
⚙️ Functionality & Operation
- Tracks and destroys target within seconds
- Focused beam causes structural collapse or overheating
- Can target sensors or payloads without full destruction
- Zero collateral damage + zero sound or smoke
🧪 Indigenous Development
- Developed by:
- DRDO’s CHESS (Centre for High Energy Systems & Sciences), Hyderabad
- Supported by Indian industries, academic institutions, DRDO labs
- Reflects Make in India vision for futuristic warfare
🛡️ Modern Warfare Implications
- Addresses drone swarms and unmanned aerial systems (UAS)
- Reduces dependency on kinetic kill systems
- Suitable for urban warfare and sensitive conflict zones
- Enhances border and base security with minimal logistics
🧭
The Silent Sword – India’s Leap into Laser Defence
“In the war of tomorrow, it is not the loudest strike, but the lightest touch, that wins.”
📚 GS Mains Mapping
- GS Paper 3
- Defence Technology and Innovation
- DRDO Achievements
- Counter-drone Strategy & National Security
- Indigenous Military Capabilities
✨ A Thought Spark — by IAS Monk
If a laser can strike without echo, then perhaps the future of power lies not in thunder—but in precision.
🔕 Closing Whisper
In the age of drones and data, a new kind of arrow is strung—one that does not fly, but finds.
