What's Sudarshan Chakra Mission that Modi announced on Independence Day
What's the story
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the launch of the Sudarshan Chakra Mission, a plan to create an aerial defense shield for India in the next 10 years. The announcement was made during his Independence Day speech at the Red Fort in Delhi. Drawing inspiration from Lord Krishna's legendary weapon, the Sudarshan Chakra, it will be similar to Israel's Iron Dome.
Defense strategy
Sudarshan Chakra Mission
"Mission Sudarshan Chakra will enable a powerful weapon system which will not only neutralize the enemy's attack but will also hit back at the enemy many times over," Modi said. He said, "The protective shield will keep expanding so that every citizen feels secure, and whatever kind of technology is used against India, our technology will prove to be superior."
Chakra
Fully modern system
The Sudarshan Chakra Mission, according to the PM, will be a fully modern system, with its research, development, and manufacturing done entirely in India. He stated that a mechanism will be in place to calculate future eventualities and create strategies in a plus-one manner. "Like the precision of the Sudarshan Chakra, we will also make arrangements for targeted missile action," added Modi.
Defense comparison
Mission comes in the wake of recent tensions with Pakistan
The Sudarshan Chakra Mission will be similar to Israel's Iron Dome, a multi-layered defense system that has successfully intercepted thousands of rockets. "India aims to develop its own Iron Dome-like defense system, named Mission Sudarshan Chakra, designed to safeguard critical sites, including civilian areas," Modi said. The Iron Dome has a success rate of over 90%. The mission comes in the wake of recent tensions with Pakistan, especially after Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.