Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted the maiden flight-test of ‘Kusha’ Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha on 23 July 2026. This maiden test was conducted against an electronic target simulating high-speed and high-altitude aerial threat which was successfully intercepted by the missile system.

The ‘Kusha’ missile system is capable of neutralising a wide variety of aerial threats including fighter jets, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and large enemy aircraft within a wide range & altitude envelope. All weapon system elements, including the missiles, radars, command and control centre, have been developed by various DRDO laboratories and Industry partners.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh stated that the successful test-flight of ‘Kusha’ marks an important milestone in Indian defence R&D, highlighting the capability in developing long range surface-to-air missile system, possessed only by a handful of nations. This, he added, will also eliminate the import dependency for such systems and signifies a giant leap in air defence capability of the nation.

Defence secretary and secretary, department of defence R&D and chairman, DRDO Rajesh Kumar Singh monitored all activities during the launch and congratulated all the team members involved in the successful flight-test.