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Air Marshal Dixit said that the adversary has learnt from Operation Sindoor and so ”we will have to be two steps ahead” of them in military thinking and planning.
Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit
Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit on Tuesday said that the proposed air defence system, ‘Sudarshan Chakra’, will be the “mother of all air defence systems combined together”, which will include technologies like counter-drone, counter-UAV and counter-hypersonic systems among others.
While addressing a conference, ‘Counter UAVs & Air Defence Systems: Future of Modern Warfare’ in the national capital, Air Marshal Dixit said that the adversary has learnt from Operation Sindoor and so “we will have to be two steps ahead” of them in military thinking and planning.
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India’s proposed air defence system, Sudarshan Chakra, will be the “mother of all air defence systems combined together” and will include counter-drone, counter-UAV and counter-hypersonic systems among others, a top military official said on Tuesday.
Referring to the recent Russia-Ukraine war and the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict, he emphasised the role played by much cheaper drones in inflicting huge damage to expensive military assets of the other side.
“They have created an “innovation adaptation cycle”, and the Indian industry, think-tanks, academia should start thinking “two steps ahead” to stay ahead of the adversary, as it is like a game of chess,” he said as quoted by news agency PTI.
While emphasising on India’s envisioned air defence system, he said that the mission is still in the ideation phase.
“We are still in the ideation phase, but counter-drones, counter-UAV… counter-hypersonic, all these kinds of things, and some other things also, which cannot be spoken about, all those combined are Mission Sudarshan Chakra, with counter drone in the lowest layer of the system,” he said.
Earlier, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan in his address at a tri-service seminar in August, said that the proposed air defence system will work as “a shield and a sword’, and had suggested it will be on the lines of Israel’s Iron Dome all-weather air defence system, known as a very effective missile shield.
In his Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an initiative, ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ — a programme over a decade in the making, aimed at creating a comprehensive, indigenous, and integrated aerial defence system.
Speaking from the Red Fort, PM Modi said, “We have chosen the path of Lord Krishna’s Sudarshan Chakra. For the security of the country and its citizens, we will continue to upgrade our capabilities. I assure you that in the next 10 years, whether it is a place of strategic importance, a civilian area, or our centres of faith, we will build a ‘Rashtriya Suraksha Kavach’ capable of withstanding any attack.”
The Sudarshan Chakra is likely to form part of a multi-layer strategy, operating alongside current systems like Akash, S-400, and QR-SAM, as well as future laser-based interceptors, to provide overlapping protection against short-, medium-, and long-range threats — effectively functioning as an umbrella defence network.
Developed under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, the programme will involve the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and multiple private-sector partners already working on related projects. Unlike Israel’s Iron Dome, which is focused on short-range rocket and mortar attacks, India’s system is designed to counter a far wider range of threats, including long-range ballistic and cruise missiles — reflecting the need to deter and respond to potential hostilities from both Pakistan and China across diverse terrains.
(With inputs from PTI)
About the Author
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben…Read More
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben… Read More
September 23, 2025, 20:28 IST
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