India’s successful test of the Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS), especially the high-power laser-based Directed Energy Weapon (DEW), drew praise from a Chinese military expert who said it should be considered a “significant advancement”.
The IADWS is a multi-layered air defence system consisting of 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 (DEW) system.
The indigenous air defence system was flight-tested off the coast of Odisha on Saturday.
The IADWS, especially the DEW, which is possessed by a few countries like the US, Russia, China, the UK, Germany and Israel, drew the attention of Chinese experts.
The Indian IADWS is an air defence system designed to counter low and mid-altitude targets such as drones, cruise missiles, helicopters and low-flying aircraft, with a limited strike range, Wang Ya’nan, chief editor of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told China’s state-run Global Times.
The key to such an integrated air defence system lies in having a highly effective information system capable of distributing target data to corresponding weapon components, or the system would merely consist of separate air defence weapons operating independently, he said.
“Among the three layers of the IADWS, the vehicle-based air defence missile QRSAM and the man-portable air defence system VSHORADS are not technologically novel, but the laser system should indeed be considered a significant advancement,” Wang said.