DRDO successfully tests home-grown air defence system: All about IADWS and its 3 components

What is the IADWS?

The IADWS is a multi-layered air defence system, which includes three components — Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missiles (QRSAM), the advanced Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missiles, and a high-power laser-based Directed Energy Weapon (DEW).

The defence ministry’s press release said that during the flight-tests, all the weapon system components “performed flawlessly, which was confirmed by Range instruments deployed by Integrated Test Range, Chandipur to capture the flight data.”

The three components of the IADWS

While QRSAM has been designed and developed by the DRDO, VSHORADS and DEW have been developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI) and Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS) respectively, both Hyderabad-based facilities of the DRDO.

Maiden flight Tests of Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) was successfully conducted on 23 Aug 2025 at around 1230 Hrs off the coast of Odisha.

IADWS is a multi-layered air defence system comprising of all indigenous Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM),… pic.twitter.com/Jp3v1vEtJp

— DRDO (@DRDO_India) August 24, 2025

The integrated operation of all these weapon system components is controlled by a Centralised Command and Control Centre, developed by the Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Hyderabad.

QRSAM: QRSAM is a short-range Surface to Air Missile (SAM) system, primarily designed to provide a protective shield to moving armoured columns of the Army from enemy aerial attacks. The entire weapon system is configured on highly mobile platforms. It has search and track capability and can fire on short halts. The system has an operation range of three to 30 kilometers.

The QRSAM weapon ensemble consists of a fully automated command and control system, two radars — Active Array Battery Surveillance Radar and Active Array Battery Multifunction Radar — and one launcher. Both the radars have a 360-degree coverage with ‘search on move’ and ‘track on move’ capabilities.

VSHORADS: VSHORADS is a fourth-generation, technically advanced miniaturised Man Portable Air Defence System (MANPAD). The DRDO has said that the missile system has the capability to meet the needs of all the three branches of the Armed Forces — Army, Navy and Air Force.

The weapon system can neutralise targets between the range of 300 meters and six kilometers, including drones and other classes of aerial threats.

DEW: Earlier this April, the CHESS facility conducted a successful field demonstration of the land version of the Vehicle mounted Laser DEW MK-II(A). It defeated fixed wing UAV and swarm drones, causing structural damage and disabling their surveillance sensors. With this, India has joined the exclusive club of global powers who possess such a system. DEW is said to have a range of less than three kilometers.

The strategic significance of the IADWS

A senior DRDO scientist said, “If we look at the ranges of the three different systems and the type of targets they have been designed for, we can conclude that they are meant to neutralise ariel threats within the range of 30 kilometers ranging from high speed to low speed, and fixed wing to rotary wing type. An indigenous command and control system and fully homegrown weapons are an important strategic asset. This maiden test at lower ranges paves way for the use of the system at higher ranges, and can be looked at as a stepping stone towards Mission Sudarshan Chakra, a comprehensive defence shield.”

Mission Sudarshan Chakra was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech.

A former head of a DRDO facility involved in the development of the systems termed the test a “strategic leap in India’s indigenous defence capability.”

“The maiden test also showcases seamless coordination of missiles and directed energy weapons. It strengthens multi-layered air defence against varied aerial threats, enhances rapid response readiness, and reduces dependence on foreign systems,” he said.