The Indian Navy carried out two successful tests of the LRSAM, the new, long-range surface-to-air missile system, Barak-8. The test took place at dawn (local time), from the Indian P15A destroyer, INS Kolkata. The vessel “successfully test fires long range surface to air missiles from INS Kolkata. Aerial targets destroyed at extended ranges,” the Indian defence ministry stated. “There has been a quantum leap in air defence capability of Indian Navy.” Following the full integration of the system on the Kolkata and Kochi, LRSAMs is being being fitted progressively in other capital warships of the Indian Navy, the ministry announced.
The Barak-8 missile is being developed in joint collaboration by India and Israel. The first two have been successfully conducted in Israel, from a land-based test site and onboard an Israeli corvette. In the current event two missiles were fired. it provided the first opportunity to test the system onboard an Indian vessel, demonstrating the system’s maturity.
The Barak-8 has been designed to defend against a variety of short-to-long-range airborne threats, including fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, drones and projectiles. It incorporates a state-of-the-art phased array multi- mission radar, two-way data link, and a flexible command and control system that enables it to simultaneously engage multiple targets day and night and in all-weather conditions. Due to the comprehensive simulation and preliminary subsystem testing, only three flight tests are sufficient to clear the system for operational induction. Additional tests will follow the initial phase to further explore the system’s performance and capability enhancements.
The Barak 8 / LRSAM missile system is being jointly developed by IAI, DRDO, Israel’s Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure, Elta Systems, Rafael and other companies.
