Race For Rays: From China To India, The Worldwide Quest For Laser Weapon Systems

Countries worldwide are advancing directed-energy weapons with recent tests from the US and UK highlighting ongoing efforts in laser weapon technology.

Hyderabad: The US Navy reportedly tested its laser weapon "Helios" from the USS Preble against a drone. The undated picture of the test was revealed in the US Centre for Countermeasures’ annual report. While it does not provide details about the location or date of the test, it mentions that the objective of the test was to "verify and validate the functionality, performance, and capability of the High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system" against an unmanned aerial vehicle.

This test follows the UK's successful trial of its own laser weapon, DragonFire, which targeted aerial objects last year. Notably, India also has ambitious plans for its own laser weapons, with two DRDO labs working on developing the technology.

Since its invention in 1960 by Theodore Maiman at Hughes Research Laboratory in California, LASER, or light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, has had high global appeal as a weapon. While several countries already have laser defence systems, others have been investing efforts and money to utilise the technology as a weapon.

Countries and their Quest for Laser Weapon Systems

CHINA: Back in 2006, there were claims that China used lasers to blind a US satellite, suggesting they have some pretty powerful laser weapons. Even though they've reportedly deployed lower-energy laser systems that target slower and smaller objects, China is said to have some serious laser firepower with their Silent Hunter weapons. Fast forward to August 2024, and news reports stated that China had armed one of its Type 071 amphibious assault ships with a laser-directed energy weapon.

GERMANY:In September 2023, the German Navy tested their laser weapon demonstrator (LWD) on the Sachsen F-124 air-defence frigate. They conducted over 100 test firings, proving its functionality under realistic conditions with various targets. Fast forward a year to September 2024, and Germany's Rheinmetall and MBDA announced they were teaming up to develop a maritime-based laser weapon system, aiming to have it ready in the next five to six years.

ISRAEL:In November 2024, Israel's Ministry of Defence inked a $500 million deal to ramp up production of the high-power laser system, Iron Beam. Created by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Elbit Systems, Iron Beam is built to tackle aerial threats like rockets, mortar bombs, drones, and cruise missiles. The Israel Defense Forces will be the first military to deploy this high-energy laser weapon on a large scale with the Iron Beam Air Defence System.

JAPAN:In November 2024, Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) rolled out a 10kW-class high-power laser electronic warfare (EW) combat truck, developed by the country's Defense Acquisition Agency. This cutting-edge laser system represented a big leap forward in Japan’s directed-energy weapon (DEW) capabilities.

RUSSIA:Russia has experimented with the Peresvet laser weapon system, which began equipping the Russian Armed Forces in 2017 and was deployed for experimental combat duty in December 2018. President Putin announced its service entry in December 2019, and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed its deployment with five Strategic Missile Forces divisions. Peresvet autonomously neutralises enemy reconnaissance satellites with powerful laser beams and can affect satellites at altitudes of 200 to 1,100 kilometres with a coverage diameter of 130 to 180 kilometres. Russia also has another laser weapon system called Zadira, which, according to Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov in May 2022, is being used to shoot down Ukrainian drones.

SOUTH KOREA:In December 2024, the South Korean Army introduced the Block-I Laser-Based Anti-Aircraft Weapon, designed to take down aerial threats for just $1.50 per shot. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced a 100 billion won contract to develop this effective and budget-friendly drone-killer. This laser system is praised for being quiet, invisible, and with each shot costing only 2,000 won.

Türkiye:In 2023, the Turkish Naval Forces Command received its first laser weapon system, the NAZAR Laser Electronic Warfare System. The full-scale prototype passed initial tests back in October 2012 when it was mounted on a frigate. It was showcased at the International Defence Industry Fair in 2021, where its turret with 11 windows in two rows caught attention.

UK:In March 2024, the UK's defence ministry released a video of their first-ever laser weapon test, named DragonFire, designed to knock drones out of the sky. They hope this test will pave the way for a low-cost alternative to missiles for shooting down targets like drones. The DragonFire system is said to be precise enough to hit a coin from a kilometre away and is estimated to cost just £10 ($13) per shot.

USA:During the Cold War, the US came up with the idea of Project Excalibur, the first space-based x-ray laser anti-ballistic missile system. However, it was shelved in 1992 due to funding issues and the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the 1980s, President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as "Star Wars," aimed to use space-based lasers to intercept missiles but never developed. More recently, the US Army tested the Directed Energy-Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD) system, which can intercept drones, rockets, artillery shells, and mortars.

The US Navy demonstrated the Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD) on the USS Portland, successfully downing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). In 2021, Lockheed Martin delivered the High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) to the US Navy, with over 60KW of power. Initially built to target smaller surface ships and drones, HELIOS is expected to be upgraded with increased power to target anti-ship missiles.

India's Quest for Laser Weapon System

India has two dedicated Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratories — Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS) and Laser Science & Technology Centre (LASTEC) — that have been working on developing laser weapons technology for the last few years.

In 2017, DRDO tested a 1KW laser weapon mounted on a truck at a test facility in Chitradurga. The test was conducted in the presence of then-defence minister Arun Jaitley, and the laser hit a target 250m away. The source of the laser, called the “heart of the system”, was imported from Germany. The weapon is not ready yet and is expected to take years to complete.

According to Defence News, DRDO sought $100 million in 2021 from the Ministry of Defence to develop a high-power laser weapon for the Indian Army under a classified project, dubbed DURGA II-- Directionally Unrestricted Ray-Gun Array. Said to be in the concept stage, the project aims to develop a 100KW lightweight directed-energy system in addition to developing and improving various laser-generation techniques for defensive and offensive use. DURGA II is expected to be integrated with land, sea, and air-based platforms.

As per the report, the Laser Science and Technology Centre at Delhi was the lead laboratory in developing laser weapons, which so far made a 25KW laser that can target a ballistic missile during its terminal phase at a maximum distance of 5 kilometres.

Notably, the report claims the existence of a DURGA project has been around for two decades, dating back to the early 2000s and mentions a study published by the United Service Institution of India (USI) in 2008 referring to DURGA and noting there was little progress in the project.