India's New Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS): A Leap in Self-Reliance
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Science and Technology (Defence Technology, Missile Systems); Current events of national and international importance.
Key Highlights from the News
India's new Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) was successfully tested by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The maiden flight test took place at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) located in Chandipur, Odisha.
This is a multi-layered air defence system. This means it's a system that defends against enemy aerial attacks at multiple levels, using various types of weapons with different ranges.
It includes three main indigenously developed weapon systems:
Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missiles (QRSAM) (short-range missile)
Advanced Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) (very short-range missile)
Laser-based Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) (energy weapon)
During the test, the system successfully destroyed multiple targets (UAVs, drones) simultaneously at different ranges and altitudes. This is a major milestone in India's defence self-reliance (Aatmanirbhar Bharat in Defence).
COMMENTS