Daily Briefing: India Test-Fires Domestically Developed Kusha Surface-To-Air Missile

On 23 July 2026, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MOD) announced that it had successfully test-fired the Kusha surface-to-air missile (SAM) on APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Eastern India. An electronic target masquerading as a high-velocity target was used for this exercise, which the missile was able to successfully intercept. The Kusha will be inducted in a staggered manner between 2028 and 2030.

The Kusha is the first indigenously manufactured interceptor missile designed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), a publicly funded agency that comes under the aegis of the MOD. Plans have been set in motion by the DRDO to produce three variants of the SAM: the M1, M2, and M3; the range of these missiles being between 150-400km. The Kusha SAM was created to be complementary to the existing defence apparatus. India’s current inventory includes, on the one hand, medium-range SAMs that go up to 80km, and, on the other hand, the Russian S-400 whose operational range extends to 400km. To augment India’s defence capabilities, the Kusha will be deployed alongside these systems.

For South Asian readers, this is representative of New Delhi’s efforts to revamp its defence infrastructure. The importance of the moment lies in the fact that it is part of New Delhi’s proposed Mission Sudarshan Chakra, an aerial security umbrella that is slated to become operational by 2035. The announcement of the defence umbrella occurred after the 2025 Indo-Pakistani skirmish, which saw Islamabad deploying drones and missiles in retaliation to Indian military action.

The test-firing of the SAM was preceded by testing the Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS). It uses a combination of projectile weapons, comprising multiple kinds of short-range SAMs, and directed-energy weapons that use lasers to create a multilayered defence system. In principle, the IADWS could come into play during a potential conflict between New Delhi and Islamabad. The project is ostensibly a response to the evolving nature of aerial combat, which could include entities ranging from multimillion-dollar combat aircraft to cheap unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs). The Iran War has shown how expensive anti-missile systems such as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence and Patriot defence systems can be countered with cheaper drones, like the Iranian Shahed UCAV, that cost tens of thousands of dollars per unit and are faster to produce. The IADWS can address this cost asymmetry since it would also use cheaper laser-based systems instead of solely relying on expensive interceptor missiles.

For international readers, this underscores New Delhi’s move to reduce its dependence on other countries for the acquisition of military hardware. According to a Stockholm International Peace Research Institute report, between 2021 and 2025, India stood out as the second-largest importer of major arms, only behind Ukraine. Delayed delivery of S-400 batteries due to supply-chain issues stemming from the Russo-Ukrainian War and sanctions on Moscow likely contributed to the emphasis on Project Kusha.

The Kusha is fully indigenous, with every aspect of its production and deployment being carried out by India’s domestic defence industry. Undergirding this initiative are New Delhi’s “Atmanirbhar Bharat,” or “self-reliant India,” and “Make in India” policies, which envision a domestic production and assembly base. New Delhi, for this purpose, has created several public-sector companies and brought in private firms to make the processes of production and assembly smoother.

As a result of India’s arms industry repositioning, the Indian defence sector has been increasingly developing a reputation as an exporter of arms and ammunition in other parts of the world. Defence exports have seen a 34-fold increase between the fiscal years 2013-14 and 2024-25. For instance, India has become a visible and prominent supplier of military hardware to Israel during the ongoing military assault in Gaza. New Delhi has filled supply-chain disruptions that emerged in the wake of Western governments divesting due to public criticism over their support for Tel Aviv. Indian government-owned entities and private firms are working alongside Israeli defence industries to aid the military offensive. As per a report by Amnesty International, 2,596 shipments have sailed from Indian coasts towards Israel since October 2023.

New Delhi will likely be pushing forward with domestically produced military arms and attempting to raise its defence umbrella. Short-term developments will include the induction and deployment of other systems that will constitute the Sudarshan Chakra, a notable example being the Akash Tarang Electronic Warfare System.

It must be noted that the scale and scope of this endeavour will be chastened by practical factors. Comparisons have been drawn between Israel’s Iron Dome, the United States’ proposed Golden Dome project and the Sudarshan Chakra. However, Israel is smaller in terms of size as opposed to the US and India. Costs to make the Sudarshan Chakra system operational and maintain it would be exponentially higher than what they are for Tel Aviv’s Iron Dome.

Financially, the Golden Dome project is expected to cost the US national exchequer around $1.2 trillion (£882 billion) over two decades. Similarly, a fully operational Indian defence umbrella would translate into a multibillion-dollar exercise. India’s annual defence budget remains a fraction of the US’ budget. The Sudarshan Chakra would only be effective when it is paired with other forms of deterrence and strategic force posturing.

Best wishes,  

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