*BY: Qaiser Bashir Makhdoom *
*New Delhi* – On India’s 78th Independence Day, Prime Minister NarendraModi announced the launch of a new nationwide “Sudarshan Chakra” defensiveair system, aimed at shielding the country from aerial threats. Speakingfrom the Red Fort in New Delhi, Modi said the system would be fullydeployed by 2035 and would serve as a multi-layered shield for criticalinfrastructure, similar in concept to Israel’s Iron Dome.
According to Modi, the “Sudarshan Chakra” will not only neutralize enemystrikes but also deliver a “many times stronger counterattack.” The systemwill be developed entirely with Indian technology and will protectstrategic and civilian sites such as hospitals, railways, and places ofworship.
The announcement comes just three months after what both sides described asthe most intense India–Pakistan clashes in decades, involving air strikes,drones, missiles, artillery, and small arms fire. India claimed theoperation was in response to a deadly attack in Indian-administeredKashmir, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan — an accusation Islamabadstrongly denies.
*Experts Question Effectiveness Against Pakistan’s Missile Arsenal*While Indian officials are hailing the Sudarshan Chakra as a major leap indefense capabilities, military analysts caution that Pakistan’s advancedmissile technology — particularly its development of supersonic andlow-flying cruise missiles — could significantly challenge the system.
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Pakistan’s arsenal includes missiles like the Babur cruise missile,designed for low-altitude, terrain-hugging flight paths to evade radardetection, as well as the Ababeel ballistic missile equipped with MultipleIndependently Targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs) to overwhelm missiledefense shields. According to defense experts, such systems arespecifically engineered to bypass layered missile defenses like the oneIndia is planning.
Retired Pakistani military officials have also noted that their country’srapid-response launch capabilities and diversified missile deliverysystems, including ground-based, sea-based, and potentially air-launchedplatforms, give Islamabad a strategic advantage in penetrating complex airdefense grids.
*Strategic Context*The arms race between the two nuclear-armed neighbors shows no signs ofslowing. India’s Sudarshan Chakra announcement signals a long-termcommitment to strengthening defensive measures, but Pakistan’s missiletechnology — continually upgraded and tested — remains a potentcountermeasure that could limit the effectiveness of any shield deployedacross India.