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Page 12 - The Indian EYE 032026
P. 12

    OPINION                                                                MARCH 20, 2026      |  The Indian Eye 12

                    Mission Sudarshan Chakra

                   and the India–Israel Special

                                 Strategic Partnership

              The prevailing theorizing of Mission Sudrashan Chakra borrows heavily from India’s

                  success in countering aerial missile and drone attacks during Operation Sindoor

            SUKHBIR KAUR MINHAS
                                                                                                                                      Courtesy: IDSA
                   n 15 August 2025, Prime
                   Minister Narendra Modi an-
            Onounced Mission Sudarshan
            Chakra,  India’s  ‘Shield  and  Sword’,
            to be achieved by 2035. Besides en-
            hancing India’s Air Defense (AD),
            Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) and
            aerial offensive capabilities, the Mis-
            sion aims to fuse the cyber, cognitive
            and aerospace domains into a cohe-
            sive “kavach” capable of countering
            futuristic, complex, massed and mixed
            aerial threats through a unified strat-
            egy. Given recent and ongoing con-
            flicts, besides lessons from Operation
            Sindoor, the time-bound completion
            of the mission is critical to achieving   air superiority and deep-strike ca-  a robust industrial ecosystem for its   map, public discourse and most es-
            national security objectives.     pabilities, paired with a robust and   offensive platforms—missiles, air-  sentially what remains classified, and
                Six months into the project,  multi-layered IAMD shield. The lat-  craft, air-launched munitions and   what gets revealed, an aspect central
            during PM Modi’s state visit to Israel   ter is its popularly known Iron Dome   drones—besides leveraging cyber   to its very existence.
            on 25–26 February 2026, several news   system, along with Arrow, David Sling   and AI aspects. Future structures also   The third underlying factor to the
            reports indicated Israel’s willingness   and now Iron Beam.         seek to integrate the intelligence and   success of the Mission is Cost—the
            to share technology of its Integrat-  Behind these famed IAMD sys-  cognitive domains into India’s warf-  means to ensure adequate and con-
            ed Air and Missile Defense (IAMD)   tems lies Israel’s prowess in coordi-  ighting doctrine, an aspect highlight-  sistent investments and funding, as
            systems  with  India,  specifically  the   nating its war strategy—a national   ed by Israel’s Operation Rising Lion   IAMD systems are very expensive to
            Iron Dome and the Iron Beam, with   Command and Control (C2) network   against Iran in 2025 and inseparable   build. The US’s Golden Dome initia-
            some reports suggesting Arrow and   that fuses diverse sensors, discrimi-  from Mission Sudarshan Chakra. As   tive, for example, is expected to cost
            David Sling systems besides offensive   nates threats, and enables rapid de-  the  blueprint  of  the  Mission  is  final-  US$ 175 billion. This cost factor has
            weapons such as the Golden Horizon   cisions, both offensive and defensive.  ized and the roadmap rolled out, its   driven most countries to adopt an
            air-launched ballistic missile, Spice   Its IAMD framework integrates with   implementation will see India address   approach of ensuring AD through
            munition guidance kits, Rampage   its offensive component, including re-  inherent challenges, referred to here   collaboration  alongside domestic in-
            air-to-ground missiles, Ice Breaker   connaissance satellites, radars, UAVs,  as the challenge of the C3—Complex-  vestments, such as the Germany-led
            cruise missile and the supersonic AIR  EW systems and ISTAR aircraft. It   ity, Continuity and Cost.  European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI),
            LORA Air Launched Ballistic Missile   leverages  Artificial  Intelligence  for   IAMD systems in general have   which  seeks  to  improve  European
            (ALBM) missiles. The two sides were   a full-spectrum, command-and-con-  often been described as highly com-  IAMD by participation of 24 coun-
            expected to sign a Memorandum of   trol-enabled offensive freedom of ac-  plex and challenging to deliver—con-  tries, with Turkiye and Greece joining
            Understanding (MoU) for co-devel-  tion and strategic response across air,  ceptually, technically and organiza-  in 2024.
            opment and domestic manufacturing   sea, land and space.            tionally. Countries seeking to defend   Though India has chosen not to
            in India under a broader ‘Strategic Al-  Mission Sudarshan Chakra:   their people, assets and lands from   align with any regional/international
            liance’, thus adding a crucial element                              aerial threats cannot do so without   security partner for its IAMD frame-
            to Mission Sudarshan Chakra.              The Imperatives           aligning their offensive postures and   work, the related industrial sector
                The Israel Defense Forces (IDF)   The prevailing theorizing of   broader military strategies with their   has been steadily evolving under the
            and the Israeli Air Force (IAF) pur-  Mission Sudrashan Chakra borrows   foreign policy and protecting their   vision of ‘Atmanirbharta’, with indige-
            sue a combined strategy of swift, in-  heavily from India’s success in coun-  forces deployed in theatres of oper-  nous manufacturing and international
            telligence-driven  offensive  strikes  by   tering aerial missile and drone attacks   ations  outside  their  respective  coun-  collaboration through Joint Ventures
            “integrating its air, land, sea, cyber   during Operation Sindoor. Alongside   tries. Mission Sudarshan Chakra simi-  (JVs),  co-development  and  tech
            and space capabilities with the Israe-  strengthening of this defensive capa-  larly needs to navigate the conundrum   transfers. Some of the foreign part-
            li home front command” to maintain   bility, the Mission looks at building   of its architecture, technologies, road-  Continued on next page... >>

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