DRDO develops India’s first indigenous 350-kg thrust class expendable turbojet engine

NEW DELHI: The first indigenous Expendable Turbo Jet Engine of 350 kg thrust class, designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), has been successfully developed.

GTRE had identified Azad Engineering, Hyderabad, as an industry partner for the manufacturing and assembly of the engine, as per the release.

On July 22, the engine was successfully realised and delivered to GTRE by Azad Engineering, a landmark achievement for India’s aerospace and defence ecosystem. The delivery marks the culmination of years of precision engineering, advanced manufacturing, and close partnership between India’s scientific & industrial communities.

Mastered by only a handful of nations, jet engine technology is widely regarded as one of the most sophisticated engineering disciplines in the world, demanding exceptional precision, advanced metallurgy, and uncompromising manufacturing standards. Delivery of such a complex system based on the design of DRDO reflects the growing technological capabilities of the Indian Defence Industry.

The engine was handed over to Distinguished Scientist & Director General (Aeronautical Systems) K Rajalakshmi Menon and Outstanding Scientist and Director GTRE SV Ramanamurty by CEO Azad Engineering Shri Rakesh Chopdar.

Defence Secretary and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO Rajesh Kumar Singh complimented the partnership of GTRE and industry that has been instrumental in transforming the vision into a historic milestone.

Earlier on Thursday, DRDO successfully conducted the maiden flight test of the Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LR-SAM) system ‘Kusha’ from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast. The Kusha missile system is designed to destroy various aerial threats, including fighter jets, missiles, drones and large enemy aircraft, across a wide range and altitude.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO on the successful maiden flight test of the system ‘Kusha’, calling it a major milestone in India’s defence research and development. He said the successful test marked an important milestone in India’s defence R&D and highlighted the country’s capability to develop long-range surface-to-air missile systems.

In a post on X, Singh wrote, “The @DRDO_India has successfully conducted the maiden flight test of Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile Kusha today from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. Kusha missile system is capable of neutralising wide variety of aerial threats including fighter jets, missiles, UAVs and large enemy aircraft within a wide range and altitude envelope.”

The @DRDO_India has successfully conducted the maiden flight test of Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile Kusha today from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.

Kusha missile system is capable of neutralising wide variety of aerial threats including fighter jets,… pic.twitter.com/EceUgGM1HR

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 23, 2026

“Today’s successful test flight of Kusha marks an important milestone in Indian defence R&D. The capability in developing long range surface-to-air missile system is possessed only by a handful of nations. This will also eliminate the import dependency for such systems and signifies a giant leap in air defence capability of the nation,” the post read.

Defence Secretary and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO Rajesh Kumar Singh monitored all activities during the launch and congratulated all the team members involved in the successful flight-test.

Project Kusha is an indigenous, long-range Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) defence system being developed by the DRDO. Designed to rival Russia’s S-400, it features three interceptor variants (150 km, 250 km, and 400 km ranges) to protect against stealth aircraft, drones, and hypersonic weapons. It is slated for operational deployment around 2028-2030. (ANI)