India successfully conducted the maiden flight test of its indigenous Kusha Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) on 23 July 2026. This marked another milestone in the country’s effort to develop a layered, domestic, air defence capability.
In its announcement, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) stated the test of the indigenously developed weapon system took place from Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. The missile was aimed at an electronic target simulating a high-speed and high-altitude aerial threat.
The Kusha LRSAM is being developed for the Indian Air Force (IAF), with a target engagement range in excess of 120km.
Following the test, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the successful trial demonstrated India’s indigenous capability to develop long-range SAM systems, and that it would remove the nation’s dependency on imported systems in this category.
The Kusha LRSAM is being developed as part of India’s air defence network, which comprises Russian, Israeli and Indian weapon systems.
The indigenous LRSAM will be able to engage a wide variety of aerial threats, including fighter jets, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and enemy aircraft within a wide range and altitude envelope.
The missile, radar and command-and-control centres for the Kusha LRSAM system have been developed by various Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratories and industry partners.
The MoD approved the Kusha programme in September 2023. According to publicly available information, the IAF is expected to induct at least five squadrons of the weapon type, with service entry anticipated before the end of this decade.
The Indian Armed Forces have already operationalised the Indo-Israeli Medium-Range SAM (MR-SAM) and LR-SAM, which were developed from the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Barak 8 missile. These SAM systems feature a maximum engagement range of approximately 70km.
A series of operational tests conducted in April 2025 marked the MR-SAM/LR-SAM system’s operational readiness with all three branches of the Indian Armed Forces.
by Atul Chandra
