Pakistan’s recent establishment of the Army Rocket Force Command on August 14, 2025, underscores its push to strengthen conventional missile capabilities, particularly with cruise missile systems designed for saturation strikes. For India, this development highlights the urgent need to reinforce its air and missile defense posture. While existing assets such as the S-400 Triumf batteries, Akash surface-to-air systems, and the indigenous Akashteer C4ISR network proved resilient during the May 2025 conflict, they remain costly to operate against low-cost cruise threats. Analysts argue that India must prioritize the development of affordable, long-range cruise missile interceptors that can be deployed in large numbers without exhausting resources during sustained attacks. Complementing these with directed-energy weapons, electronic warfare measures, and enhanced sensor fusion across radar and satellite networks would further reduce interception costs and reaction time. Additionally, India should accelerate joint development projects with trusted partners such as the United States, France, and Israel to integrate advanced kill-vehicles and AI-driven interception algorithms into its layered defense architecture. Strengthening rapid-response command structures and expanding indigenous production capacity will ensure resilience against saturation tactics, positioning India not only to neutralize emerging threats from Pakistan but also to maintain a strategic edge in South Asia’s evolving missile competition.