India’s Strategic Shield: How Sudarshan Chakra Will Transform Air Defence

India has set its sights on creating one of the world’s most advanced protective shields, called Sudarshan Chakra. This ambitious project, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a 10-year mission, is being described by top defence officials as the “mother of all air defence systems”. It will combine multiple layers of defence technology, from counter-drone weapons to anti-hypersonic systems, making it one of the most comprehensive projects India has ever attempted in air defence.

What is Sudarshan Chakra?

The Sudarshan Chakra air defence system is being designed to protect India from every kind of aerial threat. It will include:

• Counter-Drone and Counter-UAV Systems – to detect, jam, and neutralise hostile drones and swarms.

• Counter-Hypersonic Defences – to intercept extremely fast hypersonic missiles.

• Layered Missile Interceptors – with ranges of about 150 km, 250 km, and 350 km, ensuring threats can be destroyed at different distances.

• Integrated Sensors and AI-driven Surveillance – combining radars, satellites, and artificial intelligence to track and respond in real time.

• Soft Kill and Hard Kill Capabilities – meaning the system will both electronically disable enemy weapons and physically destroy them if required.

Officials say the vision is for Sudarshan Chakra to act not only as a shield but also as a sword, deterring attacks and giving India the option to strike back if necessary.

Why is it Needed?

Recent conflicts worldwide have shown the devastating impact of cheap drones and loitering munitions on expensive defence assets. In wars such as Russia-Ukraine and Azerbaijan-Armenia, drones have changed the battlefield by striking high-value targets at very low cost.

Closer to home, during Operation Sindoor earlier this year, India successfully defended against drone intrusions using counter-drone and GPS-jamming systems. However, some hostile drones used artificial intelligence and visual navigation to bypass GPS jamming, proving that adversaries are also becoming smarter.

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, explained that India must always stay “two steps ahead” of its rivals, as war is like a game of chess where the opponent constantly adapts.

Lessons from Operation Sindoor

From my perspective, Operation Sindoor was a turning point for India’s defence preparedness. The fact that most hostile drones were neutralised shows that our counter-drone and GPS-jamming systems are already quite effective. Yet, I believe this success cannot lull us into complacency. The adversary is watching, learning, and preparing. The next wave of drones or loitering munitions will almost certainly be more advanced—smarter, faster, and harder to stop. That is why the Sudarshan Chakra project feels so crucial. It isn’t just about repeating old successes, but about staying unpredictable, always surprising the enemy with something they didn’t anticipate.

Challenges

In my view, the challenges before Sudarshan Chakra are immense. To begin with, integration will be the toughest task—bringing together radars, satellites, missiles, AI, and surveillance into a single, seamless shield is no small feat. Then there’s the issue of costs. Building a system of this scale demands massive financial resources, and India will have to carefully balance defence spending with other national priorities.

What worries me most is the pace of evolving threats. Every time we innovate, our adversaries also upgrade. The race is constant, and there’s no finish line. Finally, the technological demands—especially developing hypersonic interceptors and dependable AI-powered defences—are at the cutting edge of science. These are not easy achievements, but India has shown resilience in turning ambitious visions into reality.

Timeline

Looking ahead, I see the journey of Sudarshan Chakra unfolding in phases. The first real steps will be the trials of long-range missile interceptors, expected around 2026. If all goes well, early deployment could happen by 2030, with full nationwide coverage only by 2035. This means Sudarshan Chakra is not a short-term fix but a long-term shield, one that will grow and evolve over the next decade. Patience, persistence, and constant upgrades will be the keys to its success.

To me, Sudarshan Chakra represents more than just another defence project—it is a statement of intent. It signals that India is ready to create an indigenous system on par with the world’s most advanced shields like Israel’s Iron Dome and Russia’s S-400, but designed uniquely for India’s security environment.

As Air Marshal Dixit wisely pointed out, future wars will not be won by bravery alone. They will be won by innovation, speed, and foresight. And that is exactly what Sudarshan Chakra is meant to embody: India’s determination to stay one step ahead, no matter how fast the threats evolve.