From Agni-V to Project Kusha: How are India’s indigenous missile systems and defence shield reshaping modern warfare

India has made a significant transformation in the defence sector, driven by sustained efforts toward indigenous development and multi-layered air defence shields under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). With a focus on making India self-reliant, or “Atmanirbharta,” in critical military technology, the country has worked toward a nuclear-powered arsenal and multi-layered air defence shields.

Even long-range missiles with precision strikes are rewriting the rules of warfare. With this technology, the military can detect and target enemies from a distance with precision, making long-distance warfare possible and successful. The result was witnessed during Operation Sindoor in May 2025, when India used weapons to strike targets in the Muridke and Bahawalpur areas of Pakistan.

The IAF also launched nearly 15 to 19 BrahMos missiles using Su-30MKI fighter jets, targeting several high-value Pakistani military installations, airbases and command centres. Interestingly, these targets were hit from the fighter jets operating within Indian airspace. These examples prove the result of India's defence advancement and the effective role of 'Atmanirbharta'. Besides BrahMos missiles, India also has other powerful indigenous strike systems, including the Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket System and Long-Range Land Attack Cruise Missile, designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Agni-V: Backbone of strategic deterrence

Of these, India has the most powerful missile, Agni-V, which is poised to destroy targets beyond the continent. It is a road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile, having a range exceeding 5,000 kilometres. It is also a three-stage, solid-fuelled missile that serves as the backbone of the country’s long-range nuclear deterrence, providing a credible second-strike capability. Its range allows the missile to target almost all of Asia and parts of Europe and Africa.

The missile system was designed under the project name Divyastra for the Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) upgrade, which applied to the Agni-V missile. Through Mission Divyastra, the Agni-V was upgraded to carry multiple nuclear warheads on a single missile. The MIRV technology allows the Agni-V missile to strike multiple targets simultaneously, sabotaging the missile defence system of the enemy. The missile is also powered with multiple payload capabilities, covering a large geographical area in the Indian Ocean Region, making India's attacking system as powerful as that of developed nations.

Layered air & missile defence architecture

Focusing on the defensive part, India has designed and developed, and is planning to develop, several powerful tracking and interception systems, including the Akashteer C4ISR System, Air Defence Interceptors, Counter-Drone & Directed Energy, Mission Sudarshan Chakra and Project Kusha.

Akashteer C4ISR System is an automated, vehicle-mounted command and reporting network that unifies Army, Air Force, and Navy sensors for real-time tracking and interception of incoming missiles from the other side of the border. Air Defence Interceptors range from the short-to-medium-range Akash and Akash-NG to the multi-tier Project Kusha (designed with M1, M2, and M3 variants targeting threats up to 400 km).

Interestingly, the Counter-Drone & Directed Energy Systems are like Bhargavastra, and DRDO laser weapons neutralise drone swarms and micro-unmanned threats, and Mission Sudarshan Chakra is an overarching, integrated, multilayered national defence shield, set to be completed by 2035.

The Project Kusha

The next and most powerful interceptor project is Project Kusha, also called the Extended Range Air Defence System. It is being designed to reduce India’s reliance on imported systems like Russia’s S-400. DRDO successfully launched the maiden test of the M1 long-range surface-to-air missile on July 23, 2026, from APJ Abdul Kalam Island. This is an important milestone under Mission Sudarshan Chakra, India’s multi-layered long-range air defence architecture scheduled for completion by 2035.

This system consists of three interceptor variants, including M1 engaging targets up to 150 km, M2 with a range of 250 km, and M3 engaging targets at 350-400 km distances. This bridges significant gaps in India’s missile defence layers. The 21,700-crore project was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security in 2022 and is expected to enter service between 2028 and 2030.

Highlighting the importance of these projects, Sandeep Shah, Chairman and Managing Director of Optimized Group, told WION, “Modern warfare is increasingly defined by precision, speed and the ability to detect and respond to threats within seconds. From Agni V to Project Kusha, India’s indigenous missile programmes reflect this evolution, combining strategic reach with increasingly sophisticated detection, interception and engagement capabilities.”

“After two decades of working with ISRO, DRDO and the armed forces, I have come to appreciate how deeply these advancements depend on the technologies behind the platform. Modern missiles and defence shields rely on advanced sensors, electro-optics, signal processing and intelligent tracking to improve accuracy, situational awareness and response effectiveness. The ability to detect a threat early, track it reliably and guide an interceptor precisely can fundamentally change the outcome of an engagement,” he added.

Shah observed that this transformation also reflects the vision of our Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an Atmanirbhar Bharat in the defence sector. He noted that indigenous development provides India greater control over critical technologies and the ability to adapt capabilities to its evolving strategic requirements.

"India’s experience in space exploration has demonstrated what sustained research, rigorous testing and engineering excellence can achieve. Initiatives such as iDEX, ADITI and Make II are extending this spirit of innovation across the defence ecosystem, creating opportunities for private industry to contribute to advanced national security capabilities.

As warfare evolves, the advantage will increasingly belong to nations that can combine precision, intelligence and indigenous technological capability. India is building the foundations to shape that future," he further added.

Beyond these advanced and powerful systems, India is simultaneously developing submarine-launched ballistic missiles like the K-5, next-generation ICBMs such as Agni-VI (reportedly carrying 10-11 MIRV warheads with a 10,000-12,000 km range), directed-energy weapons, and anti-ship missiles like NASM-MR.