&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Sudarshan Chakra will be 'shield and spear': Air Chief Marshal AP Singh reveals timeline of India's own 'Iron Dome' defence system deployment")
AP Singh, the Indian Air Force (IAF) chief, said on Tuesday that the nation's defence system, dubbed Sudarshan Chakra, will be both a spear and sheild. Addressing the press at the Air Headquarters in New Delhi, he highlighted the integration of advanced air defence capabilities into India's evolving security framework.
"The Sudarshan Chakra is not merely a defensive barrier; it represents a dynamic, integrated ecosystem that will seamlessly fuse our existing assets like the S-400 systems with next-generation indigenous interceptors under Project Kusha," said Air Chief Marshal Singh.
What is Sudarshan Chakra?
Mission Sudarshan Chakra is India's ambitious indigenous multi-layered air and missile defence shield announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in during his Independence Day adress on August 15.
IAF chief Singh said the defence system would enhance the IAF's operational readiness.
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He noted that during Operation Sindoor (India's response to Pakistan-based terrorists behind the Pehalgam attack) earlier this year, India's air defences, including the S-400, successfully neutralised over five Pakistani fighter aircraft and a high-value special mission platform at extended ranges up to 300 km.
He mentioned that S-400 is affectionately called Sudarshan Chakra within the IAF.
Sudarshan Chakra, the shield and spear
Highlighting the defence system's dual defensive-offensive nature, Singh said that IAF is committed to achieving full operational deployment of Sudarshan Chakra Phase-1 by 2028-29.
"As we accelerate Mission Sudarshan Chakra, it will evolve into a 'shield and spear' capability," Singh said.
This would ensure that any aerial incursion is met with precision interception and immediate counter-offensive strikes, safeguarding our skies for decades to come, he added.
The mission is expected to be rolled out in two phases through 2035.
Sudarshan Chakra: Indigenous defence inspired by Indian mythology
The term "Sudarshan Chakra" refers to the divine discus weapon of Lord Vishnu in Hindu mythology. In epics like the Mahabharata, it symbolises an unstoppable, precision-guided tool of protection and retribution. The Sudarshan Chakra can orbit endlessly, targeting enemies with accuracy, and returning to the finger of Lord Vishnu after the mission.
