DRDO begins work on helicopter-mounted laser weapon to counter drones, targets 2029

The Defence Research and Development Organisation has begun work on a helicopter-mounted laser weapon to neutralise hostile drones, with development scheduled for completion by the end of 2029, The New Indian Express reports, citing sources in the defence establishment. The Hyderabad-based Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS) is developing the laser directed-energy weapon, while the Dehradun-based Instruments Research and Development Establishment (IRDE) is building the stabilised gimballed pod that will house the sensors and direct the beam, alongside a private industry partner. The pod, weighing up to 180 kg, will carry a thermal imager, a day camera and an eye-safe laser rangefinder, meant to detect and track small drones as far as 5 km away before the beam engages them from up to 2 km. Hindustan Aeronautics' Dhruv advanced light helicopter and its armed variant Rudra are being looked at as the likely platforms. The plan is to integrate a prototype with the CHESS laser within two years, followed by flight-safety trials and airworthiness certification by CEMILAC. The report is sourced to unnamed defence-establishment officials; DRDO has not publicly announced the programme.

DTT summary based on The New Indian Express's report. The full article is on the publisher's site.