On Independence Day 2024, the Prime Minister announced the Sudarshan Chakra mission, India’s plan to deploy a comprehensive AI-powered missile defence system by 2035. The move reflects the strategic reality that absolute defence is the foundation of sovereignty in an era of escalating missile threats.

Current Security Context

• Regional Threats: Pakistan tested India’s defences during the 100-hour Operation Sindoor, while China’s missile arsenal continues to expand across northern borders.
• Strategic Urgency: The challenge is not whether India needs a shield, but whether it can be built fast enough before regional tensions escalate into conflict.

Indigenous Advances

• DRDO Response: Within 10 days of the announcement, the Defence Research and Development Organisation tested the Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) on August 24, 2024.
• Multi-Layered Defence: The system integrates Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missiles (QRSAM), Very Short Range Air Defence Missiles (VSHORADS), and Directed Energy Weapons (DEW).
• Unified Integration: Sudarshan Chakra envisions three layers:
  • Space-based interceptors to neutralise threats before re-entry.
  • Long-range missiles for high-altitude interception.
  • Laser-based weapons for terminal defence of critical assets.
• AI Backbone: Real-time threat assessment and decision-making across 3.2 million sq km makes this system revolutionary.

Global Comparisons

• Israel: Iron Dome (since 2011) intercepts 90% of short-range rockets, but limited against ballistic missiles. Israel’s multi-layered approach, including David’s Sling, offers a broader template.
• Russia: S-400 Triumf engages 36 targets simultaneously, providing long-range superiority. India has imported 5 units.
• United States: Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) excels at ballistic missile interception. The Aegis Ashore project, however, saw Japan withdraw after costs exceeded USD 1.2 billion.
• China: Progressed from HQ-9 to HQ-22, demonstrating the possibility of sustained indigenous advancement.

Challenges

• Timeline: Israel needed over a decade for Iron Dome; US systems took decades. India has just 11 years for a more ambitious programme.
• Financial Costs: Could run into tens of billions of dollars over decades, with no guaranteed success.
• Systemic Weaknesses: Past failures stemmed from bureaucratic delays, service rivalries, and lack of joint integration.
• Civilian Vulnerability: Modern conflicts target hospitals, power grids, and urban centres; protection must go beyond military assets.
• Nuclear Dimension: Missile defence strengthens massive retaliation credibility by ensuring survivability of retaliatory capability after first strikes.

Strategic Pathways for Success

• Tri-Service Integration: Involve Army, Navy, and Air Force from inception to avoid inter-service rivalries.
• Indigenous Development: Build independent capabilities to avoid sanctions, dependencies, and cost escalations.
• Civil-Military Integration: Ensure protection of civilian infrastructure alongside defence assets.
• Learning from Others: Adapt lessons from Iron Dome, S-400, THAAD while avoiding pitfalls like Japan’s Aegis Ashore failure.
• Balanced Ambition: Manage costs by focusing on phased deployment and sustainable scaling.

Way Forward

• Accelerate Development: Time is India’s scarcest resource; cut delays in testing and approvals.
• Boost Indigenous R&D: Strengthen DRDO and private defence industry collaboration.
• Secure Financing: Create long-term defence innovation funds.
• Civilian Resilience: Integrate urban infrastructure, energy grids, and communication systems into defence planning.
• International Partnerships: Leverage collaborations selectively without compromising strategic autonomy.

Conclusion

In an era where missiles move faster than diplomacy, India’s Sudarshan Chakra represents more than technology. It embodies the principle that in 21st-century warfare, absolute defence is the prerequisite for sovereignty, deterrence, and survival.

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