Tension after Pahalgam: India's air defence leapfrogs Pakistan's China-fed teeth

First Post

05-05-2025

Amid rising tensions, India is building a next-generation air defence architecture that surpasses Pakistan's China-dependent systems in range, resilience and indigenous innovation read more
Following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 and relentless military drills and small arms exchanges for 10 consecutive nights along the Line of Control (LoC), tensions have heightened significantly between India and Pakistan. This has fuelled speculation over whether a full-scale war is on the horizon between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
There is still no clarity on what form such a conflict might take — whether it would involve ground troops, artillery, mechanised infantry, naval forces, airpower or a combination of all. Regardless of the scope, air defence remains a vital component of any military strategy, essential for protecting both human and material assets.
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Amid these evolving geopolitical challenges, India's air defence strategy is undergoing a significant transformation. With adversaries like China and Pakistan advancing their offensive capabilities, India is reassessing how to safeguard its airspace best.
While there was once considerable interest in Israel's Iron Dome — widely regarded as a highly effective air defence system — its recent vulnerabilities in Israel's simultaneous conflicts with the Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah have raised concerns about its applicability to India's threat environment.
Previously considered nearly impenetrable, the Iron Dome came under renewed scrutiny after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, during which approximately 5,000 rockets were launched in just 20 minutes, overwhelming the system and exposing its limitations, according to Newsweek.
Looking at the Iron Dome: Interest and rejection
India's interest in the Iron Dome dates back to 2010, according to Pieter Wezeman, a senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), who shared with Newsweek that India was among several countries evaluating the system. However, the interest never materialised into a purchase.
Other countries like Romania, Cyprus and Azerbaijan also considered buying the Iron Dome, but actual deliveries were either unconfirmed or never occurred.
One key reason for India's hesitation was its already ongoing development of indigenous systems like the Prithvi Air Defence (PAD), Advanced Air Defence (AAD) and Akash missile systems. As The Eurasian Times noted, India was inclined towards self-reliant solutions that could address the country's distinct threat landscape—a sentiment echoed by Indian defence officials who emphasised the mismatch between Israel's needs and India's.
Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra, head of the Centre for Air Power Studies, told The Print that while he had once supported acquiring an Iron Dome-like system, it no longer made sense with India inducting the S-400 missile system and evaluating the US-made NASAMS-II for the protection of critical infrastructure like the national capital.
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Building the indigenous shield
India's multi-layered air defence doctrine now rests on a blend of indigenous and imported technologies, aiming to address a wide spectrum of aerial threats—from low-flying drones to ballistic missiles. The PAD and AAD systems are among the foundational elements which provide interception at high and low altitudes, respectively.
The Akash system, a medium-range surface-to-air missile platform, is another key component, capable of engaging multiple targets at various altitudes.
In parallel, India has made strategic imports like the S-400 Triumf system from Russia. Signed in October 2018, the deal faced resistance from the United States, but India proceeded regardless.
As reported by The Eurasian Times, the S-400 significantly boosts India's interception capabilities with a tracking range of 600 kilometres and the ability to engage 80 targets simultaneously, including ballistic and cruise missiles, drones and fighter jets up to 400 kilometres away.
Additionally, India has also expressed interest in acquiring the US-made NASAMS-II (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System), although no formal procurement has occurred yet.
Enter Project Kusha
The most ambitious component of India's air defence future is Project Kusha—a DRDO-led initiative to develop a long-range air defence system with capabilities mirroring and even surpassing the Iron Dome. This system will be capable of intercepting stealth aircraft, drones, cruise missiles and precision-guided munitions at ranges up to 350 kilometres.
Project Kusha aims to incorporate multiple layers of interception through different missile types designed to hit targets at 150, 250 and 350 kilometres respectively. It will also include long-range surveillance and fire control radars and offer high kill probabilities: not less than 80 per cent for single launches and 90% for salvo launches.
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The system is designed to target high-speed threats with low radar cross-sections and can engage fighter-sized targets at 250 kilometres and larger aircraft like AWACS at 350 kilometres. With funding of Rs 21,700 crore already approved, this project marks a significant step in India's pursuit of an 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' or self-reliant defence industry.
According to DRDO sources quoted in Firstpost, the Project Kusha system will fill a critical capability gap by providing strategic and tactical cover to vulnerable zones, especially important given the missile deployments observed across the Indo-Tibetan border by China.
The Pakistan factor
No analysis of India's air defence environment is complete without understanding the systems fielded by Pakistan. According to the Indian Defence Research Wing, although Pakistan has made strides in modernising its air defences, its systems still lag behind India's in terms of technological sophistication, integration and reach.
The backbone of Pakistan's high-altitude defence is the Chinese-supplied HQ-9P and HQ-9BE systems with ranges of 100 to 200 kilometres and interception capabilities up to Mach 14. As detailed in the Pakistan Army's SAM Systems brief, these systems primarily protect strategic zones like Karachi and Rawalpindi and are believed to use HT-233 phased-array radars.
Pakistan's medium-range capabilities are built around the LY-80 and LY-80E systems, which offer coverage between 40 and 70 kilometres and target speeds of up to Mach 2.5. These systems, although effective against subsonic threats, are reportedly inadequate against India's supersonic BrahMos missile, which travels at Mach 3+.
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For short-range threats, Pakistan relies on a mix of Chinese and older Western systems like the FM-90 (15 km), French Crotale and MANPADS such as the Anza series and RBS-70 NG. However, these systems have limited radar coverage, outdated command guidance and lack the multi-target engagement capability of systems like India's Barak-8.
While Pakistan's air defence architecture is improving, especially with the induction of HQ-9P and LY-80EV variants, it remains heavily reliant on Chinese technology and lacks the indigenous depth that India is now investing in through DRDO and Project Kusha.
Strategic lessons from Iron Dome for India
Despite its limitations, Israel's Iron Dome has proven effective in intercepting thousands of incoming threats and it still maintains a claimed 90 per cent effectiveness rate under normal operational conditions, as reported by The Eurasian Times. The system comprises three to four launchers and a radar, protecting areas of up to 60 square miles. However, its high cost—with each Tamir interceptor costing approximately $20,000 to destroy much cheaper rockets—has been a point of criticism.
India has taken valuable cues from these operational lessons. Unlike Israel, which operates in a smaller geographical area with largely asymmetrical threats, India must deal with a wide array of conventional and strategic challenges across a massive territory. This has led to a preference for scalable, multi-tiered solutions with a focus on both cost-effectiveness and technological sophistication.
In this context, DRDO's push to develop multiple types of interceptors for varying threat levels coupled with the integration of indigenous radars and sensors reflects a lesson well learned from Israel's Iron Dome experience.
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Building a self-reliant, multi-layered shield
India is crafting a uniquely tailored air defence architecture that draws inspiration from global systems like the Iron Dome but is firmly rooted in its own strategic imperatives. Through programmes like Project Kusha, integration of the S-400 and a robust portfolio of indigenous missile systems, India is creating a defence ecosystem that can meet the challenges posed by both conventional military threats and emerging asymmetric warfare.
India's focus on multi-layered, high-performance and indigenously developed systems reflects a forward-looking approach to national security. The era of Iron Dome-inspired thinking is here, but in India, it comes with a distinct identity and strategic vision.