DRDO Launches 'SHIELD' Programme For Microwave Defence Testing

Key facts

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) launched the SHIELD programme, an S-band High-Power Microwave Integrated Evaluation System, under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) on September 7, 2026.
• The initiative aims to bring Indian start-ups and MSMEs into non-kinetic defence research.
• SHIELD uses Gallium Nitride (GaN)-based Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPAs) to achieve peak electric field strengths of at least 3 kV/m in the far field.
• The modular platform is designed to evaluate how intense microwave energy affects military electronics, communication nodes and command links, and has drone-mountable capabilities for field-testing electronic resilience.
• The programme serves a dual purpose of understanding directed-energy system effects and protecting indigenous hardware from electromagnetic interference, supporting counter-drone strategy refinement.