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India is progressing its missile defense ambitions, moving toward a multi-layered system that officials compare to the U.S. “Golden Dome.” Newsweek has reached out to India’s Defense Ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced earlier this month that India will develop Sudarshan Chakra, a multi-layered system combining advanced surveillance, cyber defense, and physical safeguards to protect citizens and critical infrastructure against attacks from adversaries or terrorist actions. Once an importer of Russia’s S-400 despite U.S. pressure, India is now advancing domestic missile capabilities to reduce reliance on foreign arms, strengthen its strategic posture in the region, and signal a shift toward indigenous strategic weapons—potentially even rivaling systems like the S-400.
A man waves India’s national flag in front of a replica of the Indian Army’s BrahMos missile system during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow in Ahmedabad on May 26, 2025. (SAM PANTHAKY/AFP/Getty Images)
What to Know
India’s Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan referred to Sudarshan Chakra as “India’s own Iron Dome or Golden Dome” during an address in Mhow, according to press reports. This comes after India’s Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) successfully test-fired the Integrated Air Defense Weapon System over the weekend. The homemade surface-to-air system is central to the multi-layered defense plan, which envisions different weapons capable of covering various ranges, including a high-powered direct energy weapon or laser.
New Delhi’s domestic advances could come at Russia’s expense. India was among the world’s top five arms importers between 2020 and 2024, according to the International Peace Research Institute, and a major recipient of Russian arms in particular, accounting for 38 percent of its total exports during that period. However, this reliance has gradually decreased over the years.
Russia has confirmed it will deliver the remaining two squadrons of the S-400 system to India by 2026–2027, completing a $5.43 billion deal signed in 2018.
Chinese defense expert Wang Ya’nan, chief editor of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told China’s state-owned Global Times tabloid on Monday that India’s new laser is a “notable feature,” but cautioned that test results under controlled scenarios may not reflect real combat effectiveness.
What People Are Saying
India’s Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan said: “The aim is to develop a system to protect India’s strategic, civilian, and nationally important sites. It will act both as a shield as well as a sword. It will be India’s own Iron Dome or Golden Dome. I am sure we will do it at an affordable cost.”
India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh wrote on X: “The ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ Mission is our resolve for India’s self-defense, under which, in the coming years, all important places in the country will be covered with a shield of modern and indigenously developed technology. I am pleased that we are progressing rapidly in this direction.”
What Happens Next
India is also sharpening its nuclear deterrent, shown recently by a test of the nuclear-capable ballistic missile Agni-5—capable of reaching the territories of its main adversaries China and Pakistan.
