Project Kusha

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. 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 . 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. As of May 2025, Bharat Electronics, the development partner of DRDO in Project Kusha, 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. 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. 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. == 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 , and , 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. The air defence system will be capable of detecting and destroying enemy assets like cruise missiles, 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. 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. By facilitating cross-domain coordination, IACCS will guarantee that military sensors and civil aviation radars can contribute to a single situational awareness grid. == Manufacturing ==

As a system integrator, Bharat Electronics anticipates a possible order from Project Kusha worth up to . BEL is committed to accelerating system readiness and product development. The company is working on developing control systems and radars. 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. On April 8, 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. ==Operators==

; • — 5 squadrons (on order). 10 squadrons planned. • — Planned ==See also==