India's ambitious Project Kusha: developing a long-range anti-aircraft missile system

India is overtly distancing itself from Russia. Rather than entering into another contract for the delivery of S-400 systems, Delhi officials have announced the initiation of a nationwide program to establish a long-range anti-aircraft missile system. Dubbed Project Kusha, this challenging endeavor mandates the winning tenderer to meticulously conform to a predetermined technical specification and deliver the finalized equipment within a five year timeframe.

India is conversant with the S-400 systems, being one of its many users. The country's last contract pertaining to this weaponry type was negotiated with Russia in 2018, amounting to a hefty 5.43 billion dollars. Despite Moscow's active involvement in the Ukrainian conflict- deploying a substantial amount of equipment to the frontline, they seize every opportunity to gain significant profits through exports. However, India seems eager to assert its aspirations more robustly and diversify the origin of weapons reaching its military base. While a reliance on domestic solutions is discernible, they are not always devised entirely from scratch; a similar situation may prevail here.

Defence Express proposes that India may opt for the route China pursued in the mid-90s. Back then, Beijing purchased the slightly smaller S-300 systems; using their acquired knowledge, they designed a counterpart weapon, identified as their invention - the HQ-9. Such a scenario becomes more plausible given the relatively short timescale to develop and deliver a novel anti-aircraft missile system for the Indian military.

The publicly outlined prerequisites for every company vying for the tender include capabilities such as destroying targets up to 217 miles away, combating stealth aircraft, and eliminating ballistic missiles.

The planned arsenal for the Indian systems would comprise three types of missiles: those with a range extending to 217 miles, 155 miles, and 93 miles. The Russian S-400 systems also deploy missiles within similar ranges.

India may be aiming to create its weapon, mirroring but surpassing the Russian model. Defence Express notes that while the S-400 systems are broadly showcased by Russia, there is scant evidence of their actual potency under warlike conditions. Their performance during the skirmishes in Syria, when they often ignored incoming Israeli aircraft, was puzzling. Additionally, their ineffectiveness as a defensive measure (alongside the Pantsir S-1) during the Ukrainian attack on the Belgorod airport in 2022 is noteworthy.