Overview
- Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Defence Research and Development Laboratory’s Project Kusha Integration/Advanced Weapon System Complex in Hyderabad on June 12, 2026, and described the programme as a “game changer.”
- Project Kusha is an in-development, indigenous long-range surface-to-air missile programme designed as a three-tier system with M1, M2 and M3 interceptors roughly targeting ranges of 150 km, 250 km and 350–400 km respectively to counter aircraft, drones, cruise missiles and some ballistic threats.
- The Defence Acquisition Council granted Acceptance of Necessity for procurement of five Kusha squadrons in 2023, but that approval does not mean the system is yet operational because formal trials and production follow multi-year testing.
- Kusha is planned to link into the Indian Air Force’s Integrated Air Command and Control System and national radars including Uttam under the government’s Mission Sudarshan Chakra, with the M3 interceptor slated for a first high-end trial around 2028 and wider deployment expected in the 2028–2030 window.
- Officials and media frame Kusha as strengthening India’s defence self-reliance and protecting military and civilian sites, but ministerial claims about its role in Operation Sindoor and reported programme valuations are official or provisional and lack independent public verification.