The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has launched the SHIELD programme in early September 2026 to build an indigenous testing system for high-power microwave technology. SHIELD stands for S-band High-Power Microwave Integrated Evaluation System for Lethality and Damage. The system will measure how intense microwave pulses damage drones, radars and communication equipment, and help India protect its own military electronics from such attacks.
What Is the SHIELD Programme?
DRDO issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) in early September 2026 for the SHIELD system under its Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme. The TDF is a programme of the Ministry of Defence, executed by DRDO, which gives grant aid and technical guidance to startups, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and private companies to develop defence technologies in India. It supports the Make in India goal by helping industry move from concept to working prototype with access to DRDO testing facilities.
SHIELD is not a weapon ready for the battlefield. It is a laboratory and field testing platform. Its job is to create controlled microwave pulses and record exactly what happens to target electronics placed in front of it. The platform will be built as a modular and scalable unit, which means parts can be added or changed to test different power levels and different types of equipment. DRDO wants industry to design, build and prove this complete ready to use system, so India owns both the testing method and the data.
DRDO itself is the main defence research agency of India. It was established in 1958 and is headquartered in New Delhi. It works through a network of laboratories across the country and runs the TDF through its Directorate of Technology Development Fund in New Delhi.
How High-Power Microwave Systems Disable Electronics
A directed-energy weapon (DEW) is a weapon that uses concentrated electromagnetic energy instead of bullets, shells or missiles. The two main types are high-energy lasers, which focus a narrow beam of light to heat and cut a target, and high-power microwaves (HPM), which release a wide burst of microwave energy to attack the electronics inside a target.
SHIELD belongs to the second type. It fires short, powerful pulses of microwave energy in the S-band. The S-band is a part of the radio spectrum between 2 gigahertz (GHz) and 4 GHz. This band is very crowded. It is used by military tactical radars, air defence tracking systems, aircraft communication links, airport radars and even home WiFi and commercial drone control links. Because Indian and foreign military electronics also work in this band, they can absorb energy from an enemy microwave pulse and fail.
When a strong microwave pulse hits a drone or a sensor, the energy enters through small openings like antennas, joints, wires and circuit gaps. It creates unwanted electric currents inside microchips. At low levels, this causes temporary errors in logic or forces the system to restart. At higher levels, it can shut down the whole unit or melt tiny parts like flight controllers, motor speed controllers, navigation chips and power circuits. Since the effect is on hardware and not only on radio signals, it can work even against drones that fly on their own or use fibre optic cables and do not depend on a jammable radio link. For this reason, microwave weapons are called non kinetic and soft kill systems, as they stop the target without an explosion and with very little damage to nearby structures.
Key Technical Features of the SHIELD Platform
The core of SHIELD is built around Gallium Nitride (GaN) based Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPA). An amplifier is a device that increases the power of a radio signal. Solid state means it uses semiconductor chips instead of large glass vacuum tubes like magnetrons and klystrons used in older systems. Gallium Nitride is a special semiconductor material that can handle high voltage, give out more power from a small size and stay stable even when it becomes hot. It is far more efficient and compact than traditional silicon based parts, which makes it suitable for mobile testing kits.
DRDO has fixed clear performance goals for the system. It must produce a peak electric field strength of at least 3 kilovolts per metre (kV/m) in the far field, which is the area at a distance from the antenna where the beam is fully formed. This level is strong enough to reveal the breaking point of most military grade electronics. The system will work in pulsed mode with flexible duty cycles, which means it can fire short bursts at different rates to copy different types of attacks.
| Feature | Specification Under SHIELD |
|---|---|
| Frequency band | S-band, 2 GHz to 4 GHz |
| Power source | GaN based Solid State Power Amplifiers |
| Peak field strength | At least 3 kV/m in far field |
| Operating mode | Pulsed mode with variable duty cycles |
| Design | Modular, scalable and transportable platform |
| Cooling | Advanced thermal management for long tests |
| Mobility | Drone mountable for airborne test scenarios |
Heat control is a central requirement because high power systems create a lot of waste heat. SHIELD will include an advanced cooling arrangement so it can run repeated tests without loss of power or accuracy. Its modular design will allow engineers to change antennas, power units and control software for different trials. A notable feature is its drone mountable capability. Mounted on a drone or vehicle, the unit can move during tests and check how electronics behave when attacked from the air or from different angles. This flexibility will help researchers collect real field data and not only laboratory readings.
Why SHIELD Matters for Counter-Drone and Electronic Warfare
Modern battlefields depend on networked electronics. Radars, communication nodes, guidance systems and small drones all use sensitive digital chips. Cheap commercial drones, which cost only a few thousand rupees, can now be flown in large groups called swarms to overwhelm air defences that rely on expensive missiles. A single microwave burst can hit many drones at once by damaging their common electronic parts. It can keep working as long as electric power is available, so the cost of each engagement stays very low.
SHIELD serves two linked goals. The first is to understand attack. By testing communication equipment, sensors and control units under controlled pulses, engineers can fix exact damage levels and set standards for what counts as a kill. This data will guide the design of future Indian counter drone systems and electronic warfare tactics. The second goal is to defend. Once weak points are known, Indian designers can harden their own radars, avionics, drones and command links with better shielding, filters and circuit layouts. Hardening means making equipment resistant to outside electromagnetic interference.
The programme also fits the Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self Reliant India) push. Instead of importing testing rigs and protection methods, Indian startups and MSMEs will build the facility and keep the knowhow inside the country. This creates skilled jobs in high frequency electronics, power systems and test engineering, and builds a domestic base that can later move from testing to fully deployable microwave systems.
India’s Directed-Energy Journey and Global Context
SHIELD builds on work already done by DRDO laboratories. The Microwave Tube Research and Development Centre (MTRDC) in Bengaluru started a ground based S-band high-power microwave project in 2019. Its prototype, shown in January 2026, can generate peak power of about 450 megawatts in very short pulses of 20 nanoseconds and has disabled small quadcopter drones at a distance of one kilometre in trials. The team aims to extend this kill range to five kilometres. A separate drone mounted electromagnetic payload is also under development at the Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS) in Hyderabad for close range soft kill missions.
India is also moving ahead on laser weapons. The Directionally Unrestricted Ray-Gun Array Phase II (DURGA-II) is a vehicle mounted laser system led by CHESS with support from the Laser Science and Technology Centre (LASTEC) in Delhi. A 30 kilowatt version was demonstrated in April 2025 against fixed wing drones at about five kilometres, and a 100 kilowatt class version entered naval trials in 2026. While lasers strike one target at a time with a focused beam, microwaves can cover a wide area and hit many targets together. The two systems therefore complement each other in a layered air defence network.
Other major powers are investing in the same field. The United States has tested systems like THOR (Tactical High-power Operational Responder) and Phaser and the industry system Leonidas, which has claimed single engagement defeat of dozens of drones. The United Kingdom, France, China and Russia have their own radio frequency weapon programmes for base protection and anti swarm roles. In this race, a certified national testing facility like SHIELD is essential. Without reliable lethality data, no army can set requirements, compare industry products or certify that its own equipment will survive in an electromagnetic fight.
The Way Forward
SHIELD is the next logical step before serial production of Indian microwave weapons. Once the evaluation system is ready, DRDO and industry partners can test Indian radars, drones and communication gear in a planned manner and write clear survivability benchmarks. These benchmarks will shape future tenders for counter drone systems for the Army, Air Force, Navy and border guarding forces.
Success will depend on solving practical challenges like steady power supply, precise targeting, light weight packaging and safe operation near friendly troops and civilian areas. If these are managed, SHIELD will shorten the path from laboratory research to mobile, reusable and low cost microwave defences, and strengthen India’s position in non kinetic warfare.
Key Takeaways
- SHIELD stands for S-band High-Power Microwave Integrated Evaluation System for Lethality and Damage and was launched by DRDO in early September 2026.
- The programme is run under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) and invites startups and MSMEs to build the testing platform.
- SHIELD is a testing and evaluation system, not a deployable weapon, and will use Gallium Nitride based Solid State Power Amplifiers to reach at least 3 kV/m.
- It operates in the S-band of 2 GHz to 4 GHz in pulsed mode and will be modular, scalable and drone mountable.
- DRDO was established in 1958 and is headquartered in New Delhi, while the related microwave work is led by MTRDC in Bengaluru and laser work by CHESS in Hyderabad.
