Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS)

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully tested a new air defence system called the Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) on August 23, 2025, off the Chandipur,Odisha coast.

• What is IADWS?
  It is a multi-layered defence system designed to protect important areas from enemy aircraft, drones, and missiles.
  It combines:

  • QRSAM (Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missiles) – to shoot down enemy aircraft/missiles quickly.

  • VSHORADS (Very Short Range Air Defence Missiles) – for close-range threats.

  • High-Power Laser-based Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) – to destroy drones or aerial targets using laser beams.

• How it works:
  A central command and control centre manages all these weapons, radars, and communication systems together, so they can respond quickly and in coordination.

• Development Agencies

  • QRSAM: DRDO (multiple labs, lead labs under DRDL).

  • VSHORADS: Research Centre Imarat (RCI).

  • DEW: Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS).

  • Command & Control System: Developed by Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL).

• What happened in the test:

  • Three aerial targets (two high-speed drones and one multi-copter drone) were launched.

  • QRSAM, VSHORADS, and the laser weapon destroyed all of them at different distances and heights.

  • Everything worked perfectly, as confirmed by test instruments.

• Why it matters:
  Defence Minister  said this successful test proves India now has multi-layered protection against aerial threats, which will help secure critical facilities like cities, military bases, and strategic assets from enemy attacks.