India Successfully Tests New Multi-Layered Air Defense Shield

By Staff, Agencies

India has carried out a successful test of its new integrated air defense system, intercepting and destroying three targets at varying altitudes and ranges, the Defense Ministry announced on Sunday.

The test comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushes forward with his “Mission Sudarshan Chakra” initiative, a ten-year plan to build a fully indigenous air defense shield capable of protecting both military and civilian assets from aerial threats, while also integrating offensive capabilities.

According to the Defense Ministry, the system engaged three different aerial threats during the trials: two high-speed fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles and a multi-copter drone. They were destroyed simultaneously by the Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile [QRSAM], the Very Short Range Air Defense System [VSHORADS], and a high-energy laser weapon at different ranges and heights.

The Ministry said all system components—including missile batteries, drone detection and destruction technology, command-and-control, communications and radar networks—performed “flawlessly.”

Earlier in August, New Delhi approved $7.6 billion worth of defense purchases to enhance the country’s operational capabilities. The acquisitions include additional BrahMos missiles, armed drones, and upgrades proposed by the armed forces.

India’s Defense Acquisition Council also cleared long-term maintenance plans for critical systems such as the air force’s Boeing aircraft, as well as a comprehensive annual maintenance contract for the S-400 air defense system.