India’s Mission Sudarshan Chakra: Full Details
Mission Sudarshan Chakra is India’s ambitious, indigenous, and multi-layered Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) system, conceptualized as a national security shield to protect critical assets and major population centers across the country. Announced in 2025, the system is designed to be fully operational by 2035 and is often compared to advanced global systems like Israel’s Iron Dome.
1. Key Components: 7,000 Radars, Lasers, & Satellites
The core strength of the system lies in the seamless integration of surveillance and weapon platforms across space, air, and land domains:
| Component | Quantity / Role | Description |
| Radars | 6,000 – 7,000+ | An extensive, networked grid including Over-the-Horizon (OTH) radars for early detection and tracking of hostile targets far beyond India’s borders. |
| Satellites | ~50+ by 2030 | The “eyes and ears” of the system, comprising surveillance and communication satellites in Low-Earth and Geostationary orbits. They provide space-based early warning and persistent monitoring. |
| Directed-Energy Weapons (DEWs) | Lasers & Anti-Drone Systems | High-powered laser-based weapons are planned for the inner layer of defense, offering a non-kinetic solution for neutralizing close-range threats, especially drone swarms and cruise missiles. |
2. Multi-Layered Architecture
The system is structured in three defensive layers to ensure interception of threats at multiple altitudes and ranges:
| Layer | Function/Range | Key Systems/Weapons |
| Outer Layer | Early Warning / Far Beyond Border | Space-Based Surveillance Satellites and Long-Range Radars (OTH) to detect missile launches and aircraft at the earliest stage. |
| Mid Layer | High-Altitude Interception / Strategic Defense | Ballistic Missile Interceptors and Hypersonic Interceptors (like those being developed under Project Kusha) to destroy threats in outer space before they re-enter the atmosphere. |
| Inner Layer | Terminal Defense / Close Range | Short-Range Air Defence Missiles (e.g., VSHORADS, QRSAM), Anti-Drone Guns, and Directed-Energy Weapons (Lasers) to neutralize cruise missiles, drones, and aircraft approaching critical targets. |
3. Strategic Objectives and Features
- Comprehensive Protection: The mission aims to shield critical national assets, including nuclear command centers, military bases, naval ports, and major civilian areas (metro cities, railways, hospitals).
- AI-Enabled Command and Control: The system is designed to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) for real-time data analysis, decision support, and automatic selection of the most suitable counter-weapon, ensuring faster reaction times against modern, multi-vector threats.
- Integrated Network: It will be a truly Tri-Service system, linking the assets and command centers of the Indian Army, Air Force (through the Integrated Air Command and Control System – IACCS), and Navy into one cohesive defense grid.
- Defensive and Offensive Capability: Beyond being a “shield,” the system is also designed as a “sword.” It will be integrated with conventional offensive weapons, such as the Pralay ballistic missile and upgraded BrahMos cruise missiles, enabling decisive counter-strikes against the adversary.
- Indigenous Development: Mission Sudarshan Chakra is a cornerstone of the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-Reliant India) initiative, with an emphasis on developing and manufacturing all major components domestically.
