Bhubaneswar, July 23: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Thursday successfully conducted the maiden flight-test of the ‘Kusha’ Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the missile was tested against an electronic target simulating a high-speed, high-altitude aerial threat and successfully intercepted it, meeting all mission objectives.
The ‘Kusha’ missile system is designed to engage a range of aerial threats, including fighter aircraft, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and large enemy aircraft across a wide range of distances and altitudes. The system, including the missile, radars and command-and-control components, has been developed by various DRDO laboratories in collaboration with industry partners.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the successful maiden flight-test marks a key milestone in India’s defence research and development programme. He said the capability to develop a long-range surface-to-air missile system is possessed by only a few countries and that the achievement would reduce dependence on imports while strengthening the country’s air defence capability.
Defence Secretary and DRDO Chairman Rajesh Kumar Singh monitored the launch and congratulated the scientists, engineers and other stakeholders involved in the successful flight-test, the Ministry of Defence said.