Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh: In a landmark demonstration of next-gen military capability, India has successfully tested a 30-kilowatt laser-based weapon system capable of shooting down fixed-wing aircraft, missiles, and swarm drones.

With this breakthrough, India joins a select group of global powers—including the United States, China, and Russia—that have demonstrated the use of directed-energy weapons (DEWs) in real-world scenarios.

Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the system is now ready for production and deployment across multiple military platforms.

Speaking to media, DRDO Chairman Dr. Samir V Kamat called the success "just the beginning" and revealed ambitious plans for more futuristic technologies.

"As far as I know, it is the United States, Russia and China that have demonstrated this capability. Israel is also working on similar capabilities, I would say we are the fourth or fifth country in the world to demonstrate this system...," he stated.

He also revealed that DRDO is working on other high-energy systems.

“We are also working on other high-energy systems like high-energy microwaves, electromagnetic pulse... What you saw today was one of the components of Star Wars technologies...There are many projects moving towards maturity—VSHORAD, MPATGM, LCA Mark II... In the next six months to one year, you will see many of our systems getting inducted," he said.