India successfully tests Barak 8 long-range surface-to-air missile
Test saw interception of a low-flying aerial target off the eastern coast of India
By ANNA AHRONHEIMUpdated: JANUARY 28, 2019 05:51The Barak-8 missile is launched during a test(photo credit: IAI)
India successfully tested the Barak 8 long range surface to air missile from the naval warship INS Chennai against an incoming aerial target flying at a low altitude, India’s Defense Ministry announced on Thursday.“The ship-launched Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) has been successfully test fired from INS Chennai against an incoming aerial target flying at low altitude today,” the ministry said in a statement. “All the mission objectives have been met.”The test took place off the coast of Odisha in eastern India and saw the Barak 8 LRSAM destroy the incoming target with a direct hit.Boaz Levi, Israel Aircraft Industry’s (IAI) executive vice president and general manager of its Systems, Missiles & Space Group, said the experiment tested the work force between several ships for the first time.“The successful interception scenario enables the defense system’s operational strength to be multiplied in a regional rather than a specific manner,” he said.The Barak 8 is an advanced LRSAM naval air-defense system jointly developed by India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in close collaboration with Israel’s IAI’s subsidiary ELTA, as well as Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.With state-of-the-art technology, the system is designed to defend naval vessels against a myriad of short- to long-range (70-150 km.) airborne threats like incoming missiles, planes and drones at both low or high altitudes.It integrates several advanced state-of-the-art systems such as digital radar, command and control, launchers, interceptors with modern RF seekers, data link and system-wide connectivity. It is also able to engage multiple targets simultaneously in severe saturation scenarios and can be operated in all types of weather.The system comprises advanced phased-array radar, command and control systems as well as launchers and missiles with advanced RF seekers. With state-of-the-art technology, the system provides missile defense against a variety of aerial, navy and air-borne threats.IAI has been working with India’s defense industries and armed forces, such as the Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force and Army, for the past 25 years. This is part of strategic collaboration based on the transfer of technology to benefit Indians as part of New Delhi’s “Made in India” policy.
The system is operational with the IDF, Indian Air Force, Indian Navy and, according to a statement released by IAI, will be operational in the near future with the Indian Army as well.Israel’s new Sa’ar 6 corvette-class German warships will also be supplied with the advanced defense systems to protect strategic maritime assets.
