On Sunday afternoon around 12:30 pm, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully carried out the first flight test of the Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) off the coast of Odisha.
This success is part of India’s broader plan to build an indigenous multi-layered defence shield under Mission Sudarshan Chakra by 2035, designed to counter threats from multiple domains.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the IADWS combines several advanced indigenous technologies, including Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missiles (QRSAM), Advanced Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORADS) missiles, and a laser-based Directed Energy Weapon (DEW). The announcement came shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech, where he formally introduced Mission Sudarshan Chakra as a nationwide initiative to safeguard India and its critical infrastructure from a wide range of enemy attacks.
India’s existing defence systems—such as the S-400 Triumf, Barak-8 Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM), and the indigenous Akash—have already strengthened the country’s air defence. These systems were deployed in the past, along with the Armed Forces’ Integrated Counter-UAS Grid, to successfully repel Pakistani strikes.
The Ministry explained that the IADWS is operated through a Centralised Command and Control Centre developed by the Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL). The VSHORADS has been designed by the Research Centre Imarat (RCI), while the Directed Energy Weapon system was created by the Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS).
The shield is designed to provide layered protection by integrating surveillance, cybersecurity, and air defence systems, ensuring India can neutralise threats such as long-range missiles, drones, and aircraft at its borders and around strategic sites. Defence laboratories will collaborate with the private sector to advance the project, which will later be connected with the Air Force’s Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) and the Army’s Akashteer network.
India’s air defence has already shown its strength by successfully intercepting Pakistani missiles and drones during the post-Operation Sindoor conflict.
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