DURGA (Directionally Unrestricted Ray-Gun Array) is a family of indigenous high-power laser directed-energy weapon (DEW) systems being developed by DRDO to counter drones, drone swarms, missiles and other aerial threats, forming a central pillar of India’s emerging directed-energy weapons programme.[1]
DRDO has sought roughly USD 100 million in funding to advance DURGA-II as a lightweight, mobile high-power laser weapon capable of neutralising drones, incoming missiles and artillery projectiles. The programme builds on earlier, lower-power Indian laser DEW demonstrators and reflects a broader global shift toward directed-energy counter-drone and counter-swarm capability as the cost and proliferation of small UAV threats has outpaced traditional kinetic air-defence economics.[1][2]
In April 2025, a 30 kW truck-mounted directed-energy weapon (an intermediate Mk-II(A) laser DEW configuration) was field-tested at the Kurnool test range, successfully destroying fixed-wing drones at a range of five kilometres and demonstrating simultaneous engagement of fixed-wing UAVs, drone swarm formations, and surveillance sensors — capability levels Indian defence analysts described as “previously considered aspirational.”[3]
By April 2026, DRDO confirmed that the more powerful DURGA-II system, rated in the 100 kW class, had entered Indian Navy trials, mounted aboard an Offshore Patrol Vessel off the Visakhapatnam coast for harbour-defence and anti-drone evaluation — marking the programme’s transition from land-based counter-drone demonstrator toward a genuine naval force-protection weapon.[4][5]
A further Mk-III variant, targeting the 300 kW power class, is reportedly in the concept-development phase, aimed at extending DURGA’s engagement envelope to cruise missiles and larger, more numerous drone swarms by the end of the 2020s.[4]
| Type | High-power laser directed-energy weapon (DEW) family |
| Developer | DRDO |
| Full name | Directionally Unrestricted Ray-Gun Array (DURGA) |
| Mk-II(A) test power | ~30 kW (truck-mounted, tested April 2025) |
| DURGA-II power class | ~100 kW (Navy trials from April 2026) |
| Demonstrated range | ~5 km against fixed-wing drones (30 kW config, Kurnool trial) |
| Future variant | Mk-III, ~300 kW class (concept phase), targeting cruise missiles/large swarms |
| Target platforms | Ground-mobile (truck-mounted); naval (Offshore Patrol Vessel trials) |
| Status (mid-2026) | DURGA-II in active Indian Navy trials |