Project Kusha is being developed as an indigenous long-range surface-to-air missile system to strengthen India’s layered air-defence network and reduce dependence on foreign systems.
India has taken a major step towards developing its own long-range air-defence capability under Project Kusha, also known as the Extended Range Air Defence System (ERADS). The programme is being led by DRDO with the aim of protecting critical areas against a range of aerial threats.
Project Kusha is one of India’s major indigenous air-defence programmes. The system brings together long-range missiles, radars and command-and-control technology, developed by DRDO laboratories and Indian industry partners.
The system is planned as a multi-layered defence network, with different interceptor variants designed for different engagement ranges. Reported planned ranges for the three variants are around 150 km, 250 km and up to 400 km.
