India Successfully Tests Its Domestically Developed Kusha Extended-Range Surface-to-Air Missile for the First Time
Summary
India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted the first flight test of Project Kusha, also known as the Extended Range Air Defence System, on 23 July 2026 at the Integrated Test Range off the Odisha coast, where it intercepted a simulated aerial target. The system is built around three interceptor variants — the M1 (150 km range), M2 (250 km), and M3 (350–400 km) — with the M1 variant tested on this occasion and the longer-range variants scheduled for trials in 2027 and 2028, ahead of planned operational induction between 2028 and 2030. The program, approved by India's Cabinet Committee on Security in May 2022, has been sanctioned at a cost of approximately US$2.26 billion for five Indian Air Force squadrons, with Bharat Electronics Limited expected to serve as primary systems integrator and Bharat Dynamics Limited handling missile production. Strategically, Kusha is designed to fill the capability gap between India's existing medium-range systems (Akash and Barak-8) and the Russian-supplied S-400 Triumf, reducing dependence on a single foreign long-range air defence platform. The test occurs in the strategic context of Operation Sindoor in May 2025, underscoring India's urgency to develop an indigenous layered air defence architecture integrated through its Integrated Air Command and Control System.
Key Takeaways
- 1. **Strategic Indigenization:** Kusha represents India's deliberate effort to reduce reliance on Russian-supplied S-400 systems by developing a domestically produced long-range air defence capability with comparable reach of up to 400 kilometres
- 2. **Layered Air Defence Architecture:** The system is designed to integrate alongside existing Akash, Barak-8, and S-400 platforms through India's Integrated Air Command and Control System, strengthening the overall multi-tiered air defence network
- 3. **Significant Defence Investment:** With an initial sanctioned budget of US$2.26 billion and a potential follow-on order approaching US$4.16 billion, Kusha represents one of India's largest indigenous defence procurement commitments, signalling long-term strategic prioritisation
- 4. **Phased Development Timeline:** The structured testing roadmap (M1 in 2026, M2 in 2027, M3 in 2028) with operational induction targeted between 2028–2030 demonstrates a disciplined but ambitious development schedule with potential for expansion to ten IAF squadrons and a future naval variant
- 5. **Post-Conflict Strategic Urgency:** The test occurring roughly fourteen months after the May 2025 Operation Sindoor conflict with Pakistan highlights how recent combat experience has accelerated India's drive to build robust, self-sufficient long-range air defence capabilities