DRDO's 'Kusha' Long-Range Missile Successfully Nabs Electronic Target in Maiden Test

Prelims-testable facts

• 01The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted the maiden flight-test of 'Kusha' Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile on July 23, 2026.
• 02The '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.
• 03All weapon system elements, including the missiles, radars, command and control centre, have been developed by various DRDO laboratories and Industry partners.
• 04The 'Kusha' missile system is capable of neutralising high-speed and high-altitude aerial threats.
• 05The maiden test was conducted against an electronic target simulating a high-speed, high-altitude aerial threat.
• 06The successful test-flight of 'Kusha' marks an important milestone in Indian defence R&D.
• 07The 'Kusha' missile system will eliminate import dependency for long-range surface-to-air missile systems and signify a giant leap in air defence capability of the nation.

Trap alerts

• Most people think the 'Kusha' missile system is capable of neutralising only fighter jets, but actually it can also counter missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and large enemy aircraft.
• Most people think all weapon system elements were developed solely by DRDO laboratories, but actually they were developed in collaboration with Industry partners.