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 July 23, 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.
Maiden flight-test of ‘Kusha’ Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile was successfully conducted from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha today. This test was conducted against an electronic target simulating high-speed and high-altitude aerial threat which was… pic.twitter.com/UeJgNOtCm5
— DRDO (@DRDO_India) July 23, 2026
Raksha Mantri 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 Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh monitored all activities during the launch and congratulated all the team members involved in the successful flight-test.
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