India Plots Modern 'Star Wars': How India's 'Sudarshan Chakra' Will Guard Skies and Cities

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Sudarshan Chakra," announcement about the anti-aircraft and anti-missile system for the country, the government is preparing a nuts-and-bolts assessment of what has to be done. In the report to defence minister Rajnath Singh, several important issues are being looked at.* First, assuming that the shield will be put up in stages, which are the areas that need to be protected first? These are the "QRs" which have to be decided upon. One option would be to first protect what could be the vulnerable areas, including the Capital, metropolitan cities and areas of strategic importance like Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) , Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and important defence establishments. Exactly

what will be done and when may depend on the available resources.* The second part would be the "capability analysis." The system will have to be a combination of weapon systems, including anti-aircraft and anti-missile missiles, guns and new-age weapons like jammers and laser/microwave systems. Fighter aircraft can also be involved. The system, highly-placed sources said, "will have to be layered."* Then, there is the "technical development plan." Decisions, in principle, regarding the tactical usage are also necessary. For instance, if a drone has to be downed, as happened in a number of cases during Operation Sindoor, what will be used? Would it make sense to use an Akash air-defence missile that costs Rs 1-2 crore on a drone that costs about Rs 5 lakh? It would depend on the target under attack but maybe, a "soft kill" as the "per shot cost" is low, using jammers, would be adequate or even laser weaponry currently being developed. Much of the technology is available, but needs to be integrated. Then, the measures will depend on the budgets available. Once, such a system was almost theoretical and was now developed as in the case of US President Ronald Reagan's Star Wars system in the 1980s, but now new technologies make the Sudarshan Chakra a viable option. Naturally, an "employment philosophy" is necessary and the armed forces and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will have to work together to flesh out the details.