Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the launch of the Sudarshan Chakra Mission, an ambitious decade-long national security initiative aimed at developing a multi-layered defence shield similar to Israel’s Iron Dome.
Speaking from the Red Fort during his 79th Independence Day address — his longest yet at 103 minutes — PM Modi said the system will safeguard India’s strategic, civilian, and religious sites from potential enemy attacks across air, land, and sea.
“In the next ten years, by 2035, we will expand, strengthen, and modernise this national security shield. Drawing inspiration from Lord Shri Krishna, we have chosen the path of the Sudarshan Chakra. This powerful system will not only counter terrorist attacks but also strike back at the terrorists,” Modi declared.
The proposed system will integrate advanced surveillance, rapid interception, and precision counter-attack capabilities, all researched, developed, and manufactured domestically. The mission reflects the government’s emphasis on self-reliance in defence manufacturing, with Modi also highlighting the need to develop an indigenous jet engine for India’s fighter aircraft programme.
Defence experts say the Sudarshan Chakra Mission is expected to rival Israel’s Iron Dome, which boasts a reported 90% interception success rate against rockets from Hamas and Hezbollah.
The announcement came alongside praise for the armed forces following the success of Operation Sindoor, which Modi said had dealt a “severe blow” to Pakistan in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. India’s military response, launched on May 7, targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan over four days, marking what Modi called a “new normal” in countering cross-border terrorism.
The Sudarshan Chakra Mission’s goal, Modi said, is not just to neutralise aerial threats but to send a clear deterrent signal to adversaries — ensuring that any future aggression will be met with swift and decisive retaliation.
With its deployment planned by 2035, the system is expected to form a critical component of India’s next-generation national security architecture, reinforcing its deterrence capabilities in an increasingly volatile regional security environment.
