India's Sudarshan Chakra to Be Mother of All Air Defence Systems: Air Marshal Dixit
Reiterating the importance of self-reliance, he said Atmanirbharta provides a “surprise element” in warfare. “Like all surprises, it can only be used once. Next time, again, we must create another surprise.”
New Delhi: Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit on Tuesday said that India’s proposed air defence system Sudarshan Chakra will be the “mother of all air defence systems combined together,” incorporating counter-drone, counter-UAV, and counter-hypersonic capabilities, among others.
Speaking at a conference on Counter UAVs and Air Defence Systems: Future of Modern Warfare, he said adversaries had learnt from Operation Sindoor and stressed, “We will have to be two steps ahead in military thinking and planning.”
Citing the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war, he noted how cheaper drones inflicted huge losses on costly military assets. This, he said, had created an “innovation adaptation cycle,” adding that Indian industry, think tanks, and academia must think “two steps ahead,” comparing it to a game of chess. “Like Make in India, you have to start ‘Think in India’ and ideate,” he urged the defence sector.
On Operation Sindoor, he revealed that some drones used sophisticated AI and visual navigation, enabling them to continue despite GPS jamming. “They are also becoming better, so we have to go one step ahead,” he said. He added, however, that India’s counter-drone and GPS-jamming systems had been effective, limiting damage to almost nil. “That is a success story in anti-drone measures, but the same cannot be repeated next time, because the adversary also learns,” he warned.
Reiterating the importance of self-reliance, he said Atmanirbharta provides a “surprise element” in warfare. “Like all surprises, it can only be used once. Next time, again, we must create another surprise,” he observed.
Detailing Sudarshan Chakra, Air Marshal Dixit said, “We are still in the ideation phase, but counter-drones, counter-UAVs, counter-hypersonic systems, and other undisclosed capabilities will all be integrated. Counter-drone will form the lowest layer of the system.” Interacting with journalists later, he added, “It is in the ideation phase, but I can tell you it will be all-encompassing.”
Meanwhile, the armed forces will test drones and counter-drone systems during an exercise by the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) from October 6-10 in Madhya Pradesh. All three services will participate, five months after India launched Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
