India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has conducted the successful maiden flight-test of its indigenous ‘Kusha’ Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) system from the Integrated Test Range at APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. According to official disclosures from the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD), the trial evaluated the interceptor’s end-to-end engagement envelope against a high-speed, high-altitude electronic target designed to simulate a modern airborne threat. The test confirmed the baseline propulsion performance, aerodynamic stability, structural integrity, and integrated guidance logic of the missile platform, marking a key milestone in India’s long-range air defense development pipeline.
Formally sanctioned by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in May 2022 under an initial research and development budget of INR21,700 crore (approximately USD2.6 billion), Project Kusha is officially designated as the Extended Range Air Defence System (ERADS). The project aims to establish a high-altitude, long-range defensive bubble capable of neutralizing complex air-breathing and ballistic threats. Upon operational deployment, the multi-tiered architecture will serve as a sovereign alternative to imported strategic air defense platforms, providing integrated area denial across critical operational sectors and high-value strategic assets.
The weapon system relies on a multi-layered interceptor architecture deploying three distinct missile variants optimized for specific engagement ranges and target altitudes. The tactical tier features a single-stage, solid-propellant interceptor designed for operational ranges out to 150 km. The intermediate tier utilizes a dual-stage solid booster configuration providing coverage up to 250 km, while the strategic long-range variant incorporates an advanced multi-stage propulsion architecture capable of engaging aerial targets out to 350 to 400 km at altitudes exceeding 30 km. This tri-layered design ensures sustained target prosecution against a wide threat spectrum, including tactical fighter aircraft, stealth platforms, unmanned aerial vehicles, standoff cruise missiles, and high-value airborne assets such as airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems and aerial refueling tankers.
The operational battery design of the Kusha system comprises a mobile, network-centric command-and-control infrastructure tailored for high mobility and survivability in hostile electronic warfare environments. Each standard battery deployment includes a mobile command post node, a long-range multi-function active electronically scanned array (AESA) search and tracking radar, a specialized fire-control radar, and multiple vertical-launch, containerized transporter-erector-launchers (TELs). The interceptors utilize a combination of inertial mid-course guidance updated via dynamic two-way datalinks, transitioning to a high-precision radio frequency (RF) active seeker for terminal guidance. The system is engineered to deliver high single-shot kill probabilities against low-radar-cross-section (RCS) targets operating under heavy electronic countermeasure (ECM) conditions.
Strategic deployment of Project Kusha is intended to provide a key layer in India’s integrated air defense network, operating alongside existing indigenous short- and medium-range systems such as the Akash-NG and the Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) platform. The operational integration of Kusha will establish a contiguous multi-tiered shield alongside foreign-sourced systems, most notably the five regiments of Russian-built S-400 Triumf air defense systems acquired under a USD5.43 billion contract in 2018. Indian defense planners envision the Kusha system systematically augmenting and eventually succeeding front-line strategic SAM units, thereby ensuring national self-reliance in strategic air defense through domestic industrial supply chains.
Following the successful inaugural trial, subsequent development phases will focus on validating multi-target salvo engagements, dynamic network routing, live warhead detonations against drone targets, and full-spectrum integration with the Indian Armed Forces’ broader Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS). DRDO, alongside primary domestic manufacturing partners including Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for missile assembly and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for radar and electronics subsystems, is targeting full operational capability and phased induction into service between 2028 and 2030. Successful operational deployment will place India within an exclusive group of nations possessing indigenous long-range multi-layered surface-to-air missile production capabilities.
