What is Sudarshan Chakra Mission? UPSC Daily Current Affairs/16 Aug 2025

Why in news ? The Sudarshan Chakra Mission is India’s upcoming multi-layered air and missile defence system, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Independence Day 2025.

About it?

• A national security shield designed to protect strategic, civilian, and religious sites from missiles, drones, and terrorist attacks.

• India’s version of Israel’s Iron Dome, but with enhanced offensive capabilities (not just defence, but also the ability to strike back).

• Named after Lord Krishna’s Sudarshan Chakra, symbolising precision, speed, and destruction of enemies.

Objectives of Sudarshan Chakra Mission :

• Shielding critical sites: Create a multi-layered defense shield to protect strategic, civilian, and religious sites from enemy attacks, similar to Israel’s Iron Dome.

• Indigenous development: Fully researched, developed, and manufactured in India under Aatmanirbhar Bharat to reduce foreign dependence.

• Integrated defense & strike: Not just intercept missiles/drones but also enable precision counter-strikes against terrorist bases and enemy launch points.

• Use of advanced tech: Integration of AI-enabled surveillance, anti-drone systems, cyber defense, space-based assets, and missile interceptors.

• Leverage existing systems: Build upon India’s IACCS (Integrated Air Command and Control System), Project Kusha, and Akash Prime, linking defensive and offensive assets.

• Timeline: Expand and modernize by 2035, becoming a robust national security shield.

• Inspirational framework: Symbolically linked to Lord Krishna’s Sudarshan Chakra—swift, precise, and returning with destructive force.

Other nations Initiatives :

United States – Golden Dome:

• A planned four-layer defense shield combining space-based interceptors, satellites, and ground-based missile defenses.

• Massive scale, costing between $175–500 billion.

• Aims to provide national coverage by late 2020s, but faces technical and cost criticisms.

European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI):

• Led by Germany with participation from 20+ European countries.

• A multi-tiered air defense network integrating short-, medium-, and long-range systems (IRIS-T, Patriot, Arrow 3).

• Seeks to provide collective European security against missiles, drones, and hypersonic threats.

United Kingdom:

• No independent “Iron Dome”–like system; relies on NATO’s integrated air & missile defense.

• Investing in joint European programs and naval air defense systems.

Other Global Efforts:

• France/Italy/UK: Developed PAAMS (naval air defense).

• Europe: Working on HYDIS² for hypersonic missile interception.

• Israel: The original Iron Dome, highly successful with 90% interception rate.

• US/Japan/South Korea: Deploy THAAD and Aegis systems for regional defense.