India is developing an artificial intelligence-enabled radar station capable of detecting hypersonic missiles traveling at speeds above Mach 5. The project is being implemented under the auspices of India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation, DRDO, and is aimed at solving one of the most complex problems in modern air defense: overcoming the plasma screen that makes hypersonic targets effectively «invisible» to conventional radars.

A key feature of the prospective radar is expected to be the use of an L-band active electronically scanned array. DRDO specialists plan to equip it with gallium nitride-based transmit-receive modules. This solution should provide high output power and energy efficiency.

The choice of the L-band is linked to the fact that longer wavelengths can penetrate more effectively through the plasma sheath that forms around an object during hypersonic flight. At X- or S-band frequencies, such plasma, generated by air ionization caused by friction, acts as a moving electromagnetic screen: it absorbs the signal and creates «blind zones.»

Another important feature of the development will be the use of cognitive radar technologies. Artificial intelligence and machine learning systems embedded in signal processing should allow the station to change scanning parameters in real time, including frequency, pulse shape and surveillance methods. This is necessary to search for vulnerable areas in the target’s plasma screen.

In addition to hardware solutions, the project is expected to use space-time adaptive processing algorithms. They should filter out interference from the missile’s ionized trail and identify its compact metal core.

The development is part of the broader Mission Sudarshan Chakra program, which envisages the creation of a multi-layered national air defense shield with AI elements. This system is expected to combine radar assets, satellite reconnaissance and laser weapons. The new radar is being considered as one element of this architecture.

However, the timeline for completing the development and putting the radar into service has not yet been disclosed. Judging by available publications, this is an early stage of research and development rather than a ready serial model. According to estimates, the deployment of a full-fledged air defense system capable of reliably intercepting hypersonic targets is expected no earlier than 2035.