DRDO conducts successful maiden flight-test of 'Kusha' Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile

📌 Summary:

• DRDO successfully conducted the maiden flight-test of 'Kusha' Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LR-SAM) from APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the Odisha coast, on 23 July 2026
• The test was conducted against an electronic target simulating a high-speed, high-altitude aerial threat, which was successfully intercepted
• 'Kusha' can neutralise a wide variety of threats — fighter jets, missiles, UAVs and large enemy aircraft — across a wide range and altitude envelope
• All weapon-system elements (missiles, radars, command & control centre) were developed indigenously by DRDO laboratories and industry partners
• Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh called it a milestone that eliminates import dependency and gives India a capability possessed by only a handful of nations

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 Science & Technology / Defence — indigenous defence R&D, layered air defence, and self-reliance (Atmanirbhar Bharat) in strategic weapons.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• 'Kusha' is a Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LR-SAM) developed by DRDO
• Test site: APJ Abdul Kalam Island (formerly Wheeler Island), Odisha
• Intercepted an electronic target simulating a high-speed, high-altitude threat

🔑 Key Term: LR-SAM — a Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile system providing long-reach, high-altitude air defence against aircraft, missiles and UAVs.