The Indian Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) recently cleared the procurement of the Indian Long Range Surface Air Missile (LR-SAM) system under Project Kusha.
About Project Kusha
- According to reports, the defence ministry accorded the acceptance of necessity (AoN) for procurement of five of its squadrons for the IAF at a cost of Rs 21,700 crore.
- The development came after the project was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security.
- The ‘Project Kusha’ is being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
- It will be capable of detecting and destroying enemy projectiles and armour, including cruise missiles, stealth fighter jets, and drones at long range.
- The project is believed to not only perform better than Israel’s Iron Dome system, but also rival the effectiveness of Russia’s S-400 Triumf system and the ‘Patriot’ system of the United States.
- According to the report, the system will be able to detect and destroy incoming stealth fighters, aircraft, drones, cruise missiles and precision-guided munitions at ranges up to 350-km.
- The system includes long-range surveillance and fire control radars, along with interceptor missiles that can detect and strike hostile targets at the ranges of 150 km, 200 km, and 350 km.
- Firing units of the new system can “interact” with the IAF’s integrated air command and control system (IACCS).
