India is busy upgrading its air defense system in view of the global challenge. He is continuously making efforts towards strengthening his defence. Now the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) says that the developmental trials of the indigenous long-range surface-to-air missile system being prepared under Project Kusha are going to start soon.
Project Kusha has been specially designed so that its different variants can destroy enemy air threats at a range of 60 to 350 kilometers. This system will be capable of dealing with threats like fighter aircraft, drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.
Project Kusha is the main pillar of Mission Sudarshan Chakra. This mission was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2025 after Operation Sindoor. Its aim is to prepare a multi-layer, AI based air defense shield for the country by the year 2035. This initiative will reduce India's dependence on foreign systems like S-400 missiles and will give a big boost to its indigenous defense capability.
Considering the current regional security situation, Project Kusha is being considered a very important strategic project of the country. This will not only strengthen the air security of the country, but will also provide new strength to the goal of self-reliant India.
Multi-Layer Interception System Project Kusha will integrate missiles of different ranges in a single system, it will have access to high-speed targets and stand-off weapons up to 150200 km range for drones, fighter aircraft and cruise missiles at a range of 6070 km. Under the 300-350 km range, AWACS will be able to detect tanker aircraft and threats coming from long distances. With this, it will be possible to stop the enemy air threat at many levels much earlier.
It will be equipped with state-of-the-art radar and sensor network. It will have long-range AESA radar, multi-sensor data fusion and real-time tracking and target priority. Together, they will be able to track hundreds of targets at the same time and the most dangerous targets will be destroyed first.
Besides, this system will also be the best Artificial Intelligence (AI) command system. Project Kusha will have an AI-supported command and control system that will identify potential threats. Will choose the most appropriate interceptor and take the decision to fire in less time. This will reduce human intervention and make response times extremely fast.
Kusha is being designed in such a way that it will be a low-level flying cruise missile in the terminal phase of the ballistic missile so that it can identify and kill even stealth targets. With the arrival of Kusha, the dependence on S-400 is likely to reduce. Besides, this will create an indigenous option in the defense system.
India is currently largely dependent on the Russian S-400 system for long-range air defence. With the arrival of Project Kusha, India will have an indigenous long-range system and its advantage will be that the need to buy new S-400 units will be reduced.
Besides, there will be no foreign restrictions or supply risk. Having an indigenous system will eliminate foreign dependence on spare parts and maintenance. There will be no danger of supply stoppage during war or crisis.
Apart from this, it has been designed according to Indian needs. S-400 is a general system, whereas Kusha is being prepared keeping in mind the Indian geography, threats coming from China-Pakistan, Indian Air Force and Army strategy. Also, Project Kusha can be easily integrated with Akash, MRSAM, XRSAM, Astra Mk-3, future laser and direct energy weapons, which are limited with S-400.
With Project Kusha, India will have a completely self-reliant air defense network. Also, more coverage can be done at less cost. Apart from this, there will be fast and smart response capability. India can explore the possibility of exporting this system in future.
In this way, Project Kusha is not just a missile system but also the future of India's air defense strategy. With its arrival, India will be able to defend its skies with its own system on its own terms, reducing dependence on the S-400.
