Kusha: DRDO's indigenous rival to S-400

The country’s integrated national air defence capability was pressed into action during the nearly four-day Operation Sindoor, neutralising Pakistani attacks after India’s May 7 strikes on terrorist camps. Threats ranged from slow-speed, low radar cross-section drones to high-speed projectiles launched from stand-off distances, with Pakistan targeting the entire western border, from Kutch in Gujarat to Srinagar and Awantipora in Jammu and Kashmir.The Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS), in coordination with the Army’s air defence grid (Akashteer) and the Navy’s Integrated Maritime Situational Awareness System, thwarted the attacks. While the IAF bears overall responsibility for defending airspace,