Partly Right: The DAC Did Approve Project Kusha in 2023 — But the 'Five Squadrons' Detail Is Unconfirmed
“The Defence Acquisition Council granted Acceptance of Necessity for five squadrons of Project Kusha in 2023”
The argument in brief
The claim that India's Defence Acquisition Council granted Acceptance of Necessity for Project Kusha in 2023 is true. However, the specific figure of 'five squadrons' is not definitively confirmed in official public documents — it appears to be a planning estimate that circulated in defence media rather than a formally stated quantity in the AoN itself.
Why it spread
Defence announcements tap into national pride and strategic interest, drawing large, engaged audiences who want details. A round, specific number like 'five squadrons' sounds like insider knowledge and gets repeated as fact, even when it originates from planning discussions rather than official documents. Once a figure enters specialist defence media, it tends to be treated as confirmed.
The claim is half right. The Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, did grant Acceptance of Necessity for Project Kusha — India's homegrown long-range surface-to-air missile system — in August 2023. That part is confirmed. Where the claim goes soft is on the 'five squadrons' detail.
The Press Information Bureau confirmed the AoN milestone in August 2023, and DRDO, the lead agency for the project, also acknowledged it. What neither officially published, at least in documents available to the public, is the exact number of squadrons formally specified in the approval.
The figure of five squadrons is widely cited in Indian defence media, including by outlets like Livefist Defence and Indian Defence Review. But multiple sources note that this number reflects planning discussions and targets rather than a quantity formally enumerated in the AoN document. The Hindu's reporting from the same period flagged this ambiguity directly.
This distinction matters. An AoN is the formal first step in India's defence procurement process — it signals that a requirement is accepted and development can proceed. What quantities are locked in at that stage versus what remains a planning aspiration are two different things. Treating a circulating estimate as a confirmed official figure overstates what we actually know.
This kind of claim spreads easily because defence procurement stories attract intense interest from strategic affairs communities, and a precise-sounding number like 'five squadrons' feels authoritative. Specific figures lend credibility and shareability to a story, even when those figures are approximations. When reading defence procurement news, it is worth checking whether a number comes from an official government release or from secondary reporting in specialist media — the gap between the two is often where misinformation quietly takes root.
Sources
- Press Information Bureau, Government of India
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for Project Kusha, India's long-range surface-to-air missile system, in August 2023. The approval was for the development and procurement of the air defence system.
- The Hindu
Reports from August 2023 indicate the DAC granted AoN for Project Kusha, but reporting varied on whether the approval specifically enumerated 'five squadrons' as the stated quantity in the formal AoN document.
- Indian Defence Review
Project Kusha aims to develop a long-range SAM system comparable to the S-400, with plans discussed for multiple squadrons, but the specific number of five squadrons cited in some reports may reflect planning targets rather than the formal AoN quantity.
- Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
DRDO is the lead agency for Project Kusha. Official DRDO communications confirmed the AoN milestone in 2023 but did not publicly specify the exact number of squadrons in formal documentation available to the public.
- Livefist Defence
Livefist reported the DAC AoN for Project Kusha in August 2023 and noted the system is planned for multiple squadrons to cover India's air defence needs, with five squadrons being a widely cited figure in defence circles, though not always confirmed as the exact AoN quantity.