India is moving to deploy its first fully indigenous Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) to shield the Delhi National Capital Region from missiles, drones and hostile aircraft, marking a strategic shift towards self-reliance after dropping plans to import the US NASAMS-II system over cost concerns. The multi-layered shield will be built around DRDO-developed Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missiles (QRSAM) and Very Short Range Air Defence Systems (VSHORADS), linked through an advanced radar, sensor and command-and-control network operated by the Indian Air Force to protect vital national and strategic installations. The project has been fast-tracked in the backdrop of Pakistan’s attempted strikes during Operation Sindoor in May 2025, and follows successful August trials off the Odisha coast, underscoring growing confidence in Indian systems that increasingly mirror capabilities of Western air-defence architectures while keeping critical technologies firmly under national control