India successfully tests Project Kusha, indigenous air defence shield

25 minutes ago

In a special broadcast of Battle Cry, host Gaurav Sawant discusses the maiden flight test of DRDO's Project Kusha long-range surface-to-air missile defense system, conducted off the coast of Odisha.

Transcript

00:19Hello and welcome to a special edition of Battlecry. I'm Gaurav Savan. Our top focus

00:25on Battlecry this week is India's new game-changer air defence system, the Project Kusha. Long-range

00:34surface-to-air missile defence shield. The Defence Research and Development Organisation

00:40successfully conducted the maiden flight test of Project Kusha, long-range SAM, from the Dr. APJ

00:48Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha on Friday, the 23rd of July. Now, this maiden test

00:54was carried out against a simulated target. A simulated electronic high-speed and high-altitude

01:00aerial threat which was successfully intercepted by this made-in-India missile. The most heartening

01:06aspect about Kusha is Atmanirbhar Bharat. It's made in India. The Project Kusha missile defence system

01:14is capable of neutralising a wide range, a wide variety of incoming aerial threats. So, there could

01:20be fighter jets, including stealth fighters, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned aerial combat

01:26vehicles, large enemy aircraft, wide range of, at very wide range of altitude and range envelope. Now, all the

01:36weapons system elements, including the missiles, the radars, the command and control structure centres,

01:42they've all been developed by DRDO laboratories and industry partners in India. In fact, Defence Minister

01:50Rajnath Singh, he called this Indigenous air defence shield a global game changer for Bharat. He, in fact,

01:58went to the extent of comparing it to Yogeshwar Sri Krishna in the Dwapar Yug, lifting the Govardhan Parvat to

02:06save the

02:07lives of people and cattle in Braj Bhoomi, saving lives of Braj Vasis. Remember, Yogeshwar Sri Krishna had

02:15lifted the Govardhan Parvat. He drew this very powerful and emotive parallel. He said, the way Govardhan Parvat saved the

02:22lives of people of Braj Bhoomi in Dwapar, India's air defence shield protected the lives of people during

02:28operations sindoor. Before I get you more on Project Kusha, listen in to the Defence Minister.

02:35Thank you for your attention.

02:44Thank you very much.

02:49Thank you so much.

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04:18India's or IAF's integrated air command and control system remember on India today on India first we

04:26gave you details of India's IACCS during Operation Sindhu on ground so this indigenous system is

04:34expected to strengthen India's air defense capabilities take it to the next level and

04:39equally important if not more reduce reliance on important strategic missile defense systems

04:44like the s-400 again the s-400 has been a game changer for India project kusha will form a

04:51key

04:51element of India's planned air defense umbrella called the Sudarshan chakra shield remember Prime

04:58Minister Narendra Modi from the ramparts of the Red Fort spoke of the Sudarshan chakra shield

05:26a powerful weapon system

05:32I am a

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08:00m3

08:01they'll have a range of 150 km that's m1

08:04250 km that's m2

08:06and between 350 to 400 km that's m3

08:10three various ranges of engagement and each interceptor incidentally will be tailored for different threat envelopes

08:19so that means you have enough flexibility to respond also do keep in mind it's been made in such a

08:26way that the layered structure ensures that if one layer gets saturated

08:30like

08:30like we've seen in wars overseas even in advanced countries even if one layer is saturated or breached then there

08:37is a subsequent layer that will engage the incoming target thereby increasing the overall kill probability the interceptors are designed

08:46to counter the incoming threats whether it's a missile or rocket or drone or a fighter jet reports indicate the

08:53interceptor speeds of about 5.5

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19:10or rockets and incoming aerial threats?

19:14Yeah, but Gaurav, you know, two, three issues, aspects need deliberation here.

19:19See, one is, you know, if you see the recent Ops Indoor,

19:22you know, a lot of rockets, some missiles, drones were, you know, put against us.

19:29Now, if you see, you know, Iran war recently,

19:32you know, the Middle East, a lot of countries are being targeted.

19:35The missiles are going through Iranian missiles.

19:37In spite of having Russian long-range Patriot missiles for safety,

19:41air defense, and closer in the third system,

19:44which is very, very battle-proof on all the systems.

19:46American, yes, sir.

19:46But you need, American, yeah.

19:48So, but you need, you know, something in between to have layers in between.

19:53You cannot rely only on short-range and the long-range.

19:56You have to have some middle-range.

19:57That is the importance of this system.

20:00So, it gives you, you know, continuity and a multi-layered umbrella.

20:03A lot of umbrellas are different sizes.

20:05So, that is, if one doesn't intercept, the second one, the third one, the fourth one.

20:09So, that is the importance of it.

20:11It gives you a lot of protection, number one.

20:13And number two is scalability you talked about.

20:15If it is an indigenous, the thing that our missile program is doing well.

20:18And we can, you know, produce any number of missiles in case required.

20:23Our capacity as well as capability will get enhanced.

20:26And third, the performance is very, very important.

20:30If the performance is good, it will also have an export possibility.

20:34And not only Aatnirbar, Bharat, it will support.

20:36It will also, you know, the Make for the World program which we have launched, it will be helpful towards

20:41that.

20:42So, it's an important system for us.

20:44It's an important system.

20:45It's an important milestone that's been achieved.

20:47And, Sandeep, when we were covering the recent Iran-Israel war, we noticed that despite Israel having the Iron Dome

20:58system, the David Sling system, the Patriot Missile Defense Shield, the THAAD, you know, Terminal High Altitude Air Defense System,

21:07there were times that the entire system would get overwhelmed and the Iranian missiles would hit a vital asset or

21:14a vital point or anywhere close to it in Israel.

21:18Is there a possibility that, you know, our system may also get overwhelmed and perhaps numbers may help ensure that

21:26even if one tier gets overwhelmed,

21:28there's a second and a third tier that will not get overwhelmed and still continue to destroy the incoming threat?

21:35Well, you know, what you mentioned, Gaurav, is a realistic scenario.

21:39Everybody is grappling with that, including the United States, the world's sole superpower.

21:44The fact is that you have this concept called precision mass, which you have seen for the first time.

21:49The Iranians have literally thrown hundreds of missiles at targets.

21:53Now, the thing is that even if your missiles have an intercept probability of 90 percent, that means 10 missiles

22:00have still gotten through.

22:00And that is what has happened over here, that Israel is unable to shoot down every single missile that the

22:06Iranians have fired at them.

22:07Now, they have a finite number of interceptor missiles, and interceptor missiles are expensive.

22:15So you're looking at low-cost versions of these interceptor missiles that you can feel.

22:19You're possibly looking at cheaper alternatives to the Patriots and the Thads, because if Iran is making, you know, ballistic

22:28missiles for tens of thousands of dollars, you can't be building interceptors for tens of millions of dollars.

22:35Absolutely.

22:36That will bankrupt a country that even the United States can't afford to fight a war of this kind.

22:41So you're looking at lower-cost versions of these missiles.

22:45The Air Force is fully cognizant of that.

22:47In fact, the services have been asking for cheaper variants of the BrahMos missile.

22:52Now, the BrahMos is an excellent missile, Gaurav, but it is expensive.

22:56So you cannot use it for every single situation.

22:58You probably need a cheaper alternative thing.

23:01At the end of the day, it's a one-way, you know, attack, either a drone or a missile.

23:06So you don't invest the same kind of, you know, make the same kind of investment as you would make

23:12into a high-end platform.

23:14Let me quickly bring in Air Marshal Khosla to respond to the price challenge and the price differential.

23:20Like we saw in wars, whether it's between Russia and Ukraine and Iran and Israel,

23:25the price differential of a cheap drone being intercepted by a missile that may cost, you know, millions of dollars.

23:33Will Made in India Khosla help overcome that huge price differential?

23:38Or do we need to do something about it that those cheap drones from across do not cost us millions

23:44in missile defense shield to take them down?

23:48Yeah, this is a very, very important question.

23:50And Nurni also mentioned, you know, that in the war scenario, even the U.S. is finding a problem to

23:57fight this kind of war.

23:58And this debate goes on, you know, you are using a multi-million missile to shoot down a cheap drone

24:04or a cheap projectile which is coming at you.

24:07Is it cost effective?

24:08So, if you now take the broader sense, you know, what Prime Minister also said, you relate the speech.

24:15You know, the Russian chakra is not only a shield, it is sword and shield.

24:20So, the concept now of integrated air defense is not only air defense, it is offensive air defense.

24:25In the sense, you should have the capability, maybe space-based system to identify where the things are being launched

24:30from

24:31and maybe neutralize them at source rather than, you know, intercepting once they have been launched into the air.

24:36So, the broader concept is working towards that.

24:39So, Project Pusha, in those terms, will, obviously, it's much cheaper than the other systems.

24:46But still, it will be very, very costly as compared to the low-cost projectiles which will be thrown at

24:52us.

24:52So, if you have the...

24:54So, the last one minute I have on this part of the show, and I want a quick yes-no

24:57or a very short answer from both.

24:59We have a depleting fighter squadron strength in our country, and that's a huge challenge.

25:04But can more space-based surveillance assets and missiles and drones help overcome that shortcoming?

25:14Air Mashal Khoslav, you first and then Sandeep.

25:16Yeah.

25:17So, Air Force, every time, you know, every year it is reviewed and even the long-term plans are made,

25:21five year, ten year, and every year they're reviewed.

25:24So, when the review takes place, we take into account all the systems we have and then project, okay, this

25:31is what is required.

25:31But the timelines keep slipping. That is one aspect of it.

25:35To my mind, the fighters' quant at the moment is very low.

25:39Even if we have these air defense systems, we will have to build up to some capability, some capacity, not

25:45capability.

25:46Capability-wise, Indian Air Force is doing very well.

25:48Capacity-wise, we need to build up because of the two aggressive attitude, the aggressive attitude of the two inimical

25:54neighbors.

25:55And the Sudarshan Chakra shield, Sandeep, you take the enemy aircraft down even before he takes off or deny him

26:01the use of the runway itself or his TELs, his, you know, erector launchers, transportable, erectable launchers.

26:08That's exactly what you need to do.

26:10And that's what Sudarshan Chakra moves towards?

26:12Yeah, absolutely, Gaurav.

26:14And, you know, we saw that during Operation Sindoor when that half-hour rampage by the Indian Air Force over

26:18a thousand kilometers of Pakistan, all its airfields were struck virtually simultaneously.

26:24And that has denied the use of airfields by Pakistan.

26:27So, we have actually demonstrated with Operation Sindoor our ability to knock out the Pakistan Air Force very quickly.

26:33You don't focus on bringing down every single aircraft.

26:37You just destroy all his airfields, his runways.

26:40He has a finite number of airfields and airbases.

26:42He can operate off highways, but for how long, right?

26:45So, you deny him the use of his airfields, his airbases.

26:50He has no air power left.

26:52So, that's one aspect that will allow you to, you know, focus on the bigger threat to the north.

26:57So, the thing that the Air Force is doing, Gaurav, very admirably so, is to network all its assets.

27:03They have this concept of the combat cloud, where all of these platforms kind of, you know, plug into.

27:08So, this is the way forward, I think.

27:09And this is where this moves in.

27:12Project Kusha plays a very critical role.

27:14I want to thank you both for joining me on this part of India First, of Battlecry,

27:20where we talk about Atmanirbhar Bharat and strength through power.

27:26That's all I have for you on this broadcast.

27:28Many thanks for watching.

27:29News and updates continue on India Today.

27:31Stay with us.

27:36We'll see you next time.

27:38Bye.

27:42Bye.

27:48Bye.

27:50Bye.

India successfully tests Project Kusha, indigenous air defence shield

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