Project Kusha
India's Long Range Air Defence Programme
Project Kusha, also designated the Extended Range Air Defence System (ERADS) or Programme Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (PG-LRSAM), is DRDO's flagship initiative to develop an indigenous multi-layered, long-range surface-to-air missile system. It is designed to fill the gap above the medium-range Barak-8/MR-SAM (80 km range) and to eventually serve as an indigenous complement or successor to the Russian S-400 Triumf system.
- The system uses three interceptor variants based on a common base missile platform — M1 (150 km range), M2 (250 km range), and M3 (350–400 km range).
- The M3 interceptor is designed to match the engagement range of the S-400's longest-range missile (the 40N6E, ~400 km), giving India a domestic equivalent at significantly lower cost.
- Each interceptor uses an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) seeker, capable of engaging aircraft, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and hypersonic threats.
- Indigenous production is expected to reduce per-missile cost to approximately ₹40–50 crore, compared to ₹100 crore for an S-400 interceptor procured from Russia.
- The system is intended for deployment around critical military assets, major cities, and strategic installations.
● Tracked since June 12, 2026 · last seen July 23, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
See it in today’s brief.
Daily current affairs with every static concept explained in place.
Read the daily brief