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Project Kusha
Concept art of Project Kusha family
TypeLong-range surface-to-air missile
Place of originIndia
Service history
In service2028 (planned)[1]
Used byIndian Air Force (on order)
Indian Navy (planned)
Production history
Designer
Designed2023 - present
Manufacturer
Specifications
WarheadHigh explosives, fragmentation
Detonation
mechanism
Optical proximity fuze, hit-to-kill
EngineDual pulse rocket motor + booster
PropellantSolid fuel
Operational
range
[2][3][4]
  • M1 : 120–150 km (75–93 mi)
  • M2 : 250 km (160 mi)
  • M3 : 350–400 km (220–250 mi)[5]
Flight altitude30 km (98,000 ft)[6]
Maximum speedMach 5.5[7]
Guidance
system
Hybrid (RF/IR) + mid-course correction via datalink
Launch
platform
Transporter Erector Launcher

Project Kusha, or Extended Range Air Defence System (ERADS), is a programme under the Defense Research and Development Organization for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy. The programme was also previously referred to as XRSAM[a][4]. The goal is to design a mobile long-range surface-to-air missile system. The phased induction of the missile system consisting three variants of interceptors into the services is expected between 2028 and 2030.[1][8]

Project Kusha will initially supplement the S-400, Barak 8 and Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme, with plans to eventually replace the foreign systems.[9] It is also one of the element of Mission Sudarshan Chakra.[10]

Development

The missile system might be used to bridge the gap between the MR-SAM (80 km) and S-400 (400 km). It is being developed as an area-defence system. The Indian Air Force will be the lead agency for this air defence system.[11][12]

The project was cleared for development by the Cabinet Committee on Security in May 2022, and was granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) by the Ministry of Defence in September 2023 for procuring five of its squadrons for the IAF for ₹21,700 crore (US$2.3 billion).[8]

The naval version of the missile might be also developed to supplement the LR-SAM missile in the Indian Navy.[4][13]

The seekers are being developed by Research Centre Imarat, while the Defence Research and Development Laboratory is in charge of interceptor development.[14] As of August 2024, DRDO was about to start the fabrication process of 5 M1 missiles (range of 150 km). DRDO has also placed order for 20 sets of airframes, 20 sets of rocket motors, 50 sets of kill vehicles (warhead), onboard & ground transceivers for telemetry. The missiles are expected to begin testing in early 2025.[15][16]

Bharat Electronics is the development partner for various radars and control systems, while Bharat Dynamics Limited and Solar Industries have been chosen as Development-cum-Production Partners for missile assembly, solid rocket motor integration, warhead fitting, and canisterisation.[17][18][6]

As of May 2025, BEL was reportedly scheduled to complete the manufacturing of the prototype of the missile system within 12 to 18 months. This would be followed by user trials for a period of 12 to 36 months. BEL will also be one of the integration partner of the missile system when the production starts.[19] The first trials for M1 missile is expected in September 2025 while the same for next two missiles is expected in 2026 and 2027, respectively. The phased induction of all the three missiles is expected between 2028 and 2030.[1] Following the Operation Sindoor, the IAF has requested DRDO to fast-track the development of the missile system.[20][21]

However, as of August 2025, the timeline of M1 missile was now shifted to 2026, with the same for M2 and M3 expected to commence in 2027 and 2028, respectively.[10]

In February 2026, Defence Secretary, Rajesh Kumar Singh, announced the success of initial testing of Project Kusha missiles.[22][23] The Indian government has given project top priority following 2026 Iran War, and DRDO anticipates testing all three interceptors within a year.[24]

Trials

  • The maiden test of the missile system was conducted on 23 July 2026 from the Launch Complex IV (LC-IV) of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at the Abdul Kalam Island. The missile was fired against an electronic target simulating high-speed and high-altitude aerial adversaries.[25][26] The system's performance envelope was validated by the interceptor's successful kill beyond 142 km, despite the intended engagement distance of 120 km.[9]

Design

The missile system, often compared to Russia's S-400 missile system, includes three variants of interceptor missiles, designated M1, M2 and M3. The missiles will have ranges of 150 km (93 mi), 250 km (160 mi) and 350–400 km (220–250 mi), respectively. While all the variants will share the same kill vehicle, they will have different boosters to meet different ranges. This system will also feature advanced long-range surveillance and fire control radars.[8][1][3] The air defence system will be capable of detecting and destroying enemy assets like cruise missiles, hypersonic weapons, stealth fighter jets, and drones at around 250 km range and larger aircraft like airborne early warning and control at a range of 350 km.[11][18]

The Akash-NG airframe serves as the foundation for the M1 missile.[27] A dual-pulse solid-propellant rocket motor equipped with thrust-vectoring nozzles powers the missile. Before switching to a dual-mode AESA mmWave RF/IIR seeker for terminal phase target engagement, the missile uses inertial navigation with GNSS-assisted mid-course adjustments for guidance. The missile has a hit-to-kill vehicle and a directional high-explosive fragmentation warhead with optical proximity fuze. During terminal phase intercept, the use of hybrid RF/IIR seeker is to deny the effectiveness of chaff and passive countermeasures.[6][9]

Gallium nitride transmit-receive modules (T/R modules) and digital beam-forming will be used in Project Kusha's S-band Long Range Battle Management Radar to provide an expanded surveillance coverage beyond 500 km against airborne threats.[27] The 360-degree rotating S-band AESA radar will be more resistant to electronic jamming, have better target resolution against low-RCS threats, and will reject clutter more effectively.[6]

The missile batteries will be able to “interact” with the Integrated Air Command and Control System. It is a fully-automated air defence network operated by the Indian Air Force that combines numerous military and civilian radars with each other in Indian airspace to make the air defence system more efficient and reliable.[8][7] Project Kusha's network-centric architecture is designed to provide coordinated missile firing, automated threat prioritization, simultaneous tracking of multiple targets, and faster reaction times in high-intensity combat scenarios. In order to resist increasingly quick, low-observable aerial threats, the sensor-to-shooter architecture will compress the window between threat detection and missile launch, reducing kill-chain delay. By facilitating cross-domain coordination, IACCS will guarantee that military sensors and civil aviation radars can contribute to a single situational awareness grid.[22][27]

The development of a long-range naval version that can intercept anti-ship ballistic missile hitting up to Mach 7 is underway, with a range of more than 250 km (160 mi).[28] According to DRDO, the interceptor missile will prioritize saturation strikes above single-target precision alone, with a single-shot kill probability of over 80 percent, and above 90 percent in coordinated salvo engagements.[27]

Manufacturing

As a system integrator, Bharat Electronics anticipates a possible order from Project Kusha worth up to ₹40,000 crore (US$4.2 billion). BEL is committed to accelerating system readiness and product development. The company is working on developing control systems and radars.[29]

In order to produce 300–400 missiles a year by 2032, BEL and Bharat Dynamics Limited are expanding their infrastructure. Two 3D long-range observation radars and multi-function fire-control radars will assist each squadron's eight launchers, each of which will carry twelve missiles.[30]

On 8 April 2026, BEL committed more than ₹562 crore to the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor, allocating 75 hectares of land in Chitrakoot for the production of Project Kusha.[31]

Operators

 India

See also

Similar systems

Related lists

Notes

  1. ↑ eXtra Long Range Surface to Air Missile

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "DRDO developing 3 variants of Kusha air defence systems, induction possible by 2030". BusinessLine. 13 June 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  2. ↑ IndiaTV (25 January 2026). Akash-NG Missile: दुश्मनों का होश उड़ाने को तैयार आकाश-NG मिसाइल, जानिए कितना खतरनाक? DRDO [Akash-NG Missile: The Akash-NG missile is ready to stun the enemy; find out how dangerous it is? DRDO] (Video) (in Hindi). Retrieved 28 January 2026 – via YouTube.
  3. 1 2 Sharma, Sumit (22 May 2025). "Project Kusha: DRDO's Indigenous Alternative to S-400 Air Defence System; BEL Expects ₹40,000 Cr Order, Claims Report : Key Features". defencestories.com. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "DRDO reveals 350km XRSAM missile details". The Times of India. 28 December 2019. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  5. ↑ Sharma, Vinay Prasad (22 January 2026). "What is 'Project Kusha' air defence programme? Inside India's bid to build a homegrown S-400 killer". wionews.com. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Singla, Anmol (24 July 2026). "Kusha vs S-400, Patriot, HQ-19: How India's indigenous air defence missile compares". firstpost.com. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  7. 1 2 Mishra, Martand (9 February 2026). "Explained: Project Kusha, India's indigenous long-range air defence system". Business Standard Blueprint. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Pandit, Rajat (31 October 2023). "India aims to deploy indigenous long-range air defence system by 2028-2029". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  9. 1 2 3 Shankar, Ravi (26 July 2026). "Project Kusha Set to Cut India's Reliance on S-400, Barak Air Defence Systems". Bharat Shakti. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  10. 1 2 Pandit, Rajat (27 August 2025). "India to begin testing new long-range interceptor missiles for defence shield next year". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  11. 1 2 Negi, Manjeet; Chakraborty, Prateek (26 July 2023). "India sets sight on Made in India S-400-like air defence system". India Today. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  12. ↑ Deshpande, Smruti (3 October 2023). "IAF's Rs 3 lakh crore Made-in-India shopping list— 97 fighter jets, 156 LCHs, Sukhoi upgrades". ThePrint. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  13. ↑ "DRDO readies India's next generation XRSAM-long range air defence missile system" (PDF). Defence Research and Development Organization. 27 December 2019.
  14. ↑ Rana, Javaria (23 July 2026). "India conducts maiden flight test of Kusha long-range air defence missile". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  15. ↑ Karthikeyan, Varun [@Varun55484761] (29 July 2023). "DRDO is procuring 20 sets of Airframe s ,20 sets of rocket motors , 50 sets of Kill Vehicles, onboard & ground Transceivers for Telemetry and other components for it's [sic] PGLRSAM(ERSAM/XRSAM)" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 September 2024 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  16. ↑ Karthikeyan, Varun [@Varun55484761] (28 August 2023). "Fabrication of M1 Missile (5nos) of PGLRSAM is soon to start. Airframe sections are about to procure. Kill Vehicle, seeker housing, various adaptors are about to procure" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 September 2024 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  17. ↑ "Fourth Sudarshan S-400 squadron arrives in India from Russia". ANI News. 3 June 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  18. 1 2 Peri, Dinakar (27 July 2026). "India Successfully Tests Kusha Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  19. ↑ "Project Kusha Air Defence System: India developing desi S400-like missile system, prototype likely in a year". The Economic Times. 23 May 2025. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  20. ↑ Dubey, Ajit (12 August 2025). "As lesson from Op Sindoor, Indian Air Force to focus on inducting long-range missiles". ANI. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  21. ↑ Trivedi, Saurabh (12 August 2025). "IAF prioritises induction of long-range missiles after Operation Sindoor success". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  22. 1 2 "Project Kusha: India's 400-km 'Made in India' missile shield to counter China and Pakistan". The Times of India. 14 February 2026. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  23. ↑ "Project Kusha: Quietly Moves Into Trial Phase ?". AlphaDefense.in. 8 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  24. ↑ Gupta, Shishir (24 July 2026). "India to test fire 3 Kusha interceptors as Mission Sudarshan Chakra acquires speed". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  25. ↑ "DRDO conducts successful maiden flight-test of 'Kusha' Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 23 July 2026. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  26. ↑ Philip, Snehesh Alex (23 July 2026). "Project Kusha, India's desi S-400, takes to the skies; maiden test flight successful". ThePrint. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  27. 1 2 3 4 "India Breaks S-400 Dependency: DRDO's Kusha Long-Range Missile Test Shakes Indo-Pacific Air Defence Balance". Defence Security Asia. 23 July 2026. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  28. ↑ Sadham, Vinay (20 August 2024). "India's New Naval Missile: Intercepting Mach 7 Anti-Ship Ballistic Missiles". Bharat Shakti. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  29. ↑ "Bharat Electronics Eyes Rs 40,000 Crore Order From Indigenous S-400 Project". NDTV Profit. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  30. 1 2 Patel, Raghav (11 December 2025). "IAF Confirms Full 10-Sqn Order for Project Kusha Despite Potential Deal for More S-400s, Citing Need to Protect Vast Airspace". Defence News India. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  31. ↑ Singh, Surendra (10 April 2026). "PSU BEL acquires land in UP's Chitrakoot to manufacture 'desi Iron Dome' Kusha system". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
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