Industry Odisha Bureau, July 29: India has successfully tested its first long range surface-to-air interceptor Kusha missile. This marks a major step towards developing an indigenous air defence system capable of countering long range aerial threats.
The Defence Ministry said the maiden flight test successfully intercepted a simulated high-speed, high altitude aerial target. The trial was conducted from A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast. This also marks a key milestone in the development of the Kusha air defence programme.
Notably, India currently relied on Russia’s S400 Triumf system for long range air defence, while the jointly developed India Israel Barak-8 system offers shorter range protection. Kusha is expected to bridge this capability gap, as said by Defence experts.
The project includes three interceptor variants with planned ranges of around 150 km, 250 km, and 350-400 km. However, the ministry did not disclose which variant was tested during the latest trial.
As per the Defence Ministry, Kusha missile system is designed to neutralise a wide range of aerial threats. This will include fighter aircraft, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and large enemy aircraft across different altitudes and engagement ranges.
Defence analyst Dinakar Peri of Carnegie India said the S400 currently provides coverage of about 400 km, while the Barak 8 has a range of around 7- km. He also noted that Kusha is expected to fill the operational gap between the two systems and strengthen India’s layered air defence network.
