DRDO successfully tests long-range air defence missile system 'Kusha'
Balasore, July 23
The Defence Research and Development Organisation on Thursday successfully conducted the maiden flight test of the Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile system 'Kusha' from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast.
The Kusha missile system is designed to destroy various aerial threats, including fighter jets, missiles, drones and large enemy aircraft, across a wide range and altitude.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO on the successful maiden flight test of the system 'Kusha', calling it a major milestone in India's defence research and development.
He said the successful test marked an important milestone in India's defence R&D and highlighted the country's capability to develop long-range surface-to-air missile systems.
In a post on X, Singh wrote, "The @DRDO_India has successfully conducted the maiden flight test of Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile Kusha today from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. Kusha missile system is capable of neutralising wide variety of aerial threats including fighter jets, missiles, UAVs and large enemy aircraft within a wide range and altitude envelope."
"Today's successful test flight of Kusha marks an important milestone in Indian defence R&D. The capability in developing long range surface-to-air missile system is possessed only by a handful of nations. This will also eliminate the import dependency for such systems and signifies a giant leap in air defence capability of the nation," the post read.
Defence Secretary and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO Rajesh Kumar Singh monitored all activities during the launch and congratulated all the team members involved in the successful flight-test.
Project Kusha is an indigenous, long-range Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) defence system being developed by the DRDO. Designed to rival Russia's S-400, it features three interceptor variants (150 km, 250 km, and 400 km ranges) to protect against stealth aircraft, drones, and hypersonic weapons. It is slated for operational deployment around 2028-2030.
— ANI
Reader Comments
This is huge for national security. But I hope we also focus on regular maintenance and crew training. Without proper handling, even the best missile is useless. DRDO needs to ensure field readiness too.
Impressive tech. Three variants covering 150-400 km is no joke. But I'm curious about integration with existing air defense networks. India's military is getting serious about multi-layered protection.
Jai Hind! 🙏 This is exactly what we need. With everything happening on our borders, having indigenous long-range air defense is critical. No more relying on foreign suppliers for such strategic assets. Well done DRDO!
Good development but we need to be realistic. S-400 is battle-tested in Syria. Let's hope Kusha matches its performance and reliability. Also, 2028-2030 is a long wait. Hope timelines are met.
Great to see India moving toward full self-reliance in defense. Hypersonic threat interception is a game-changer. The tech race in South Asia just got more interesting.
My father worked in DRDO for 30 years. He always said such days would come. 🥲 This is years of
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