Industry Odisha Bureau, July 30: 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. Meanwhile, the jointly developed India Israel Barak-8 system offers shorter range protection.
The project includes three interceptor variants with planned ranges of around 150 km, 250 km, and 350-400 km. The variant tested during the latest trial is yet to be disclosed.
As per the Defence Ministry, the Kusha missile system is designed to neutralise a wide range of aerial threats. These 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.
