India’s recent successful test of the Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) — especially the high-power laser-based Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) — received praise from a Chinese military expert. He called it a “significant advancement.” The IADWS is a multi-layered air defence system that includes indigenous quick reaction surface-to-air missiles (QRSAM), very short-range air defence system (VSHORADS) missiles, and a high-power laser-based directed-energy weapons system.
The system was flight-tested off the coast of Odisha on Saturday.The IADWS, particularly the DEW, which is developed by only a few countries — including the US, Russia, China, the UK, Germany, and Israel — attracted attention from Chinese experts. The Indian IADWS is an air defence system designed to deal with low and mid-altitude targets like drones, cruise missiles, helicopters, and low-flying aircraft. It has a limited strike range, according to Wang Ya’nan, chief editor of the Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, who shared this with China’s state-run Global Times.
The main advantage of such an integrated air defence system is having a highly effective information system that can share target data with different weapon components. Without this, the system would just be separate air defence weapons working on their own, Wang said. He noted that among the three layers of the IADWS, the vehicle-based air defence missile QRSAM and the man-portable air defence system VSHORADS are not new technologies, but the laser system is truly a major advancement.Wang pointed out that only a few countries have deployed combat-ready laser systems.
He mentioned China’s LW-30 vehicle-based laser defence weapon, which is known as a “killer of UAVs.” It has features like light-speed engagement, silent attack, continuous operation, flexibility, accuracy, and a good cost-effectiveness ratio.The comments from the Chinese expert were seen as important, especially since the People’s Liberation Army is heavily investing in modern weapons and also provides a lot of weapons to Pakistan.
According to a recent report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China supplied over 81% of Pakistan’s military hardware. This was used by the Pakistan military in the recent Operation Sindoor. The flight tests of this new air defence system came more than three months after Operation Sindoor.
