November 2025 is turning out to be a watershed month for Indian directed-energy warfare. On 17 November 2025, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) placed the Integrated Drone Detection and Interdiction System (Mark 2) – popularly called IDDIS Mk-2 – on the fast-track approval list. Developed by DRDO’s Laser Science & Technology Centre (LASTEC) in collaboration with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), this 10 kW high-energy laser system doubles the engagement range of its predecessor and introduces hard-kill capability against a wide spectrum of unmanned threats.
From Soft-Kill to Hard-Kill: Evolution of Indian Counter-Drone Technology
The journey began in 2019 when DRDO first demonstrated a 2 kW vehicle-mounted laser that could burn drones at 800–1000 metres. By 2022, the 5 kW D4 (Drone Detect, Deter, Diagnose, Destroy) system was inducted along the northern and western borders. While effective against consumer-grade quadcopters, the D4 system relied heavily on RF jamming and spoofing – soft-kill methods that failed against autonomous or GPS-denied drones used by state actors.
The Mark 2 system changes the game entirely. Powered by a fibre-laser source producing a continuous 10 kW beam, it can physically destroy or critically damage Group 1 to Group 3 drones (up to 150 kg MTOW) at ranges exceeding 2 km in under 6 seconds. The beam director uses a 30 cm aperture with adaptive optics to maintain lethal energy density even in turbulent atmospheric conditions.
• Laser Power: 10 kW (continuous wave)
• Engagement Range: 300 m to 2.2 km (hard-kill), up to 5 km (soft dazzle)
• Tracking Radar: 3D AESA with 180° azimuth coverage
• Slew Rate: 90° per second
• Kill Mechanism: Thermal ablation, optical sensor blinding, flight-control meltdown
• Platforms: 8×8 high-mobility vehicle, static mast, naval deck mount
Why India Needed a Laser-Based Hard-Kill Solution
The 2022–2024 period saw a dramatic spike in drone incursions. Punjab alone recorded over 350 cross-border drone drops carrying narcotics and weapons. In Jammu, Pakistani drones repeatedly breached air-defence radar coverage. The 2024 Pathankot swarm attack attempt – involving 13 simultaneous quadcopters – exposed the limitation of kinetic interceptors and jammers. A single Akash or Spyder missile costing ₹5–7 crore to down a ₹50,000 drone was simply unsustainable.
Laser weapons flip the cost equation: once deployed, the cost per kill drops to the price of diesel to run the generator – roughly ₹300–400 per engagement. More importantly, lasers offer near-infinite magazines and speed-of-light engagement with zero collateral damage in populated areas.
Link to our earlier analysis: Counter-Drone Warfare: How India is Building a Multi-Layer Shield (2024)
Technical Deep-Dive: How the Mark 2 Achieves 2+ km Lethal Range
The heart of the system is an indigenously developed ytterbium-doped fibre laser module delivering 10 kW in a diffraction-limited beam. Multiple 2 kW modules are coherently combined using spectral beam combining technology mastered by LASTEC. A liquid-cooled beam director with a high-speed galvanometric mirror ensures sub-milliradian pointing accuracy.
Target acquisition is handled by a Gallium Nitride (GaN)-based 3D AESA radar co-developed with Astra Microwave that can track 200 targets simultaneously. An electro-optical pod with MWIR and SWIR cameras provides passive confirmation, reducing false alarms from birds or debris. Once classified as hostile, the fire-control computer hands over to the laser within 1.2 seconds.
During trials at Pokhran in October 2025, the system destroyed fixed-wing drones at 2.1 km, loitering munitions at 1.8 km and even burned through the carbon-fibre fuselage of a Group-3 drone in 4.8 seconds.
Integration with IAF, Army and Navy Eco-System
- Indian Army: 42 systems planned for deployment along LoC and LAC by 2028 under Project Sanjay Phase-II.
- Indian Air Force: 18 systems for protection of forward air bases (Adampur, Ambala, Halwara, Bhuj, Jaisalmer).
- Indian Navy: Ship-mounted variant under testing on INS Vikrant for countering anti-ship drone swarms.
- CRPF & State Police: Compact 5 kW variant for VIP protection and counter-terror operations.
Export Potential and Atmanirbhar Success Story
With 78% indigenous content (up from 52% in D4), IDDIS Mk-2 has already attracted interest from Vietnam, UAE, Armenia, and several African nations battling Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab drone attacks. The system is being offered under a Government-to-Government package that includes training and 10-year logistic support.
BEL has set up a dedicated production line in Bengaluru with a capacity of 25 systems per year, expandable to 50. Private players like Tonbo Imaging, IdeaForge, and Alpha Design are supplying sub-systems, creating a robust supply-chain depth.
Future Roadmap: 30 kW and 50 kW Systems
DRDO has already begun work on a 30 kW variant (IDDIS Mk-3) capable of engaging low-flying cruise missiles and artillery rockets at 4–5 km. A 50–100 kW rail-mounted system for ballistic missile defence terminal phase interception is on the drawing board under Project Durga-II.
Conclusion
The impending clearance of IDDIS Mark 2 is not just another procurement milestone – it is India’s formal entry into the exclusive club of nations wielding operational high-energy laser weapons. In an era where drones have democratised air power, India’s laser shield ensures that the cost-benefit asymmetry swings decisively back in favour of the defender. As one DRDO scientist remarked after the Pokhran trials, “The age of shooting down a $500 drone with a $5 lakh missile is over. Welcome to the age of light.”
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