From Russia’s S-400 to Israel’s Barak-8 Missiles : How India is Fortifying its Defense

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) on Wednesday announced that it has been awarded an additional $777-million mega contract for supply of Barak-8 missile defence system known in India as LRSAM – for seven ships of the Indian Navy. The contract was entered with state-owned company Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), which serves as the main contractor in the project.

Barak-8 is a long-range surface to air missile jointly developed by India’s DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries (which subcontracted the work to Israel’s Elta Systems and Rafael Advanced Defence Systems; the latter has a JV with Indian private firm Kalyani). It is a safe carry and launch missile for ships and can be launched vertically.

Barak-8 could be crucial to the Indian Navy as China has been increasing its presence in and around the Indian Ocean.

But Indian forces are no stranger to Barak-8. In 2017, India and Israel had signed a $2 billion deal for the land version of the missile system, called MRSAM, for the Indian Army and LRSAM for the Navy. IAI then said it was the largest single contract between India and Israel. The LRSAM was to be installed on INS Vikrant and Kolkata-class destroyers of the Navy.

Israel is emerging as one of India’s biggest suppliers of weapons, alongside the United States and long-term partner Russia.

Last year, IAI struck a deal worth almost $2 billion to supply India’s Army and Navy with missile defence systems.

The Barak-8 deal follows the pact with Russia for five S-400 missile shields, which can protect India from hostile jets, bombers, drones and missiles. India is expected to deploy them along the borders with Pakistan and China, giving the Army a boost in its defence against Chinese missiles.

The S-400 missile deal was signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India in first week of October this year. The delivery of the missile systems, tipped to be over $5 billion, will start 24 months from the signing of the contract.

The S-400 system can engage up to 36 targets at a time and simultaneously launch 72 missiles.

The air defence missile system comprises a combat control post, a three-coordinate jam-resistant phased array radar to detect aerial targets, six-eight air defence missile complexes (with up to 12 transporter-launchers, and also a multi-functional four-coordinate illumination and detection radar), a technical support system, a missile transporting vehicles and a training simulator, experts said.

The S-400 system can also additionally include an all-altitude radar (detector) and movable towers for an antenna post.

The target detection range of this system is up to 600 kilometres and its tactical ballistic missile destruction range varies from five kilometres to 60 kilometres.