Indian army completes final tests for Israeli-made Barak 8 missile defense system, ready to be operational

The Indian military recently conducted successful tests with an Israeli-made missile defense system, the manufacturer, Israel Aerospace Industries, announces.

The tests with the Medium Range Surface to Air Defense Missile (MRSAM) system, known in Israel as the Barak 8, pave the way for the system to be declared operational by India’s army, IAI says.

MRSAM, which includes mobile launchers that can be deployed on land or on navy vessels, and missiles capable of intercepting targets up to ranges of 70 kilometers, was developed jointly by IAI with India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

In a statement, IAI says that the tests involved the interceptions of four “air targets at various speeds, with challenging interception altitudes and ranges.”

“The missiles intercepted the aerial targets, scoring direct hits and destroying them, demonstrating the system’s operational capability,” the company adds.

The sale of the missile system to India was made in 2017 and has been undergoing numerous trials since. It has already been enrolled in the Indian Navy and Air Force, and the latest tests were part of acceptance trials for the Army.

“The success of this series of tests strengthens the relationship between our countries and expresses the technological cooperation with our partners in the Indian Ministry of Defence as well as with several industries in both Israel and India,” says IAI’s president and CEO, Boaz Levy.