Bhubaneswar: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Thursday successfully carried out the maiden flight-test of the indigenous ‘Kusha’ Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast, marking a major milestone in India’s air defence capability.
The missile was tested against an electronic target simulating a high-speed, high-altitude aerial threat. DRDO said the missile successfully intercepted and destroyed the target during the trial, according to an official statement.
The ‘Kusha’ missile system has been designed to counter a wide range of aerial threats, including fighter aircraft, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and large enemy aircraft across a broad range and altitude envelope.
According to DRDO, all major components of the weapon system, including the missile, radar, command and control centre, have been developed indigenously by its laboratories in collaboration with Indian industry partners.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the successful maiden flight-test as a significant achievement for India’s defence research and development programme.
In a post on X, he said the development of the long-range surface-to-air missile system placed India among a select group of countries possessing such advanced technology. He added that the system would reduce dependence on imports and significantly strengthen the country’s air defence capabilities.
“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. I congratulate DRDO and other stakeholders for this achievement,” Rajnath said.
Defence Secretary, Secretary of the Department of Defence R&D and DRDO Chairman Rajesh Kumar Singh monitored the launch activities. He congratulated the scientists, engineers and industry partners involved in the successful flight-test.
The successful maiden trial marks a major step towards the induction of the indigenous ‘Kusha’ air defence system, which is expected to enhance India’s capability to defend against advanced aerial threats while reinforcing the country’s push for self-reliance in defence technology.
