Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the country has made breakthrough breakthroughs that have captivated the world’s attention and positioned India as a powerful force on the global technology arena.
These gains are more than simply technological successes; they also signify India’s rising self-reliance and strategic autonomy in key sectors. The following paper evaluates twelve groundbreaking technical achievements that have propelled India to the forefront of global innovation, demonstrating the country’s scientific competence and dedication to technological growth.
With the development of the MK-II(A) Laser-Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) system, India joins an elite group of countries with high-power laser warfare capability. This feat, revealed on April 13, 2025, highlights India’s rising defensive capabilities by utilising a technology particularly intended to effectively stop missiles, drones, and smaller projectiles.
The indigenously manufactured weapon can engage fixed-wing drones and block numerous drone strikes at the same time, as well as destroy adversary surveillance devices and antennae with pinpoint accuracy.
What makes this system particularly noteworthy is its cost-effectiveness – the expense of firing the weapon for a few seconds is comparable to the price of a couple of litres of petrol, positioning it as an economical long-term solution against low-cost drone threats.
The MK-II(A) DEW engages targets at the speed of light, using its radar or inbuilt Electro-Optic system to detect threats before deploying an intense laser beam that causes structural failure in the target. Developed by DRDO’s Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS) in Hyderabad through collaboration with various labs, academic institutions, and Indian industries, this achievement reflects India’s commitment to indigenous defence innovation.
The technological intricacy of this feat cannot be emphasised; the Indian Ministry of Defence compared sustaining steady combustion in a scramjet to “keeping a candle lit in a hurricane,” emphasising the advanced engineering required. The achievement was made feasible by an indigenously created endothermic scramjet fuel that increases cooling and igniting, combined with an improved ceramic Thermal Barrier Coating capable of working beyond the melting point of steel. This coating, co-developed by DRDL and the Department of Science and Technology Laboratory, is put inside the Scramjet engine using specific deposition procedures to improve performance and lifespan under harsh environments.
Hypersonic missiles, which travel at speeds greater than Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound), have transformed military strategy due to their distinct characteristics: unlike traditional ballistic missiles, they fly at lower altitudes and are highly manoeuvrable, making them extremely difficult to detect and intercept with conventional air defence systems. This feat, according to Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, is a “historic moment” that places India among nations possessing “critical and advanced military technologies”.
