From Harinder Mishra

Jerusalem

The Israeli military has conducted another successful test of the Barak-8 missile, jointly developed with India, as it intercepted a small drone simulating an “enemy” target, defence sources here said.

“In the first of its kind operation test yesterday a Barak 8 missile fired from an Israeli Navy ship successfully intercepted an enemy target registering 100 per cent success,” Israeli military sources told PTI.

“The next test on the system is likely to be held in December this year onboard an Indian navy vessel,” they said.

INS Kolkata is the Indian ship likely to be used for the testing as the launchers and radars to track missiles are already installed on the vessel.

The missile is being jointly developed by the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Israel’s Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure, Elta Systems, Rafael and other companies.

Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) will be assigned the task of producing the missiles with 32 initial ones to be fitted on INS Kolkata.

Israeli security sources said that the advanced surface- to-air missile system will be deployed to secure the country’s offshore gas fields.

The system will extend the range of Israel’s aerial defence and should be operational in about two years.

It will also help defend Israeli navy ships from anti-ship missiles like the Yakhont missile which is believed to be possessed by Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah and poses a major threat to Israel’s security.

The Barak-8, an upgraded version of the Barak missile system already being used by India and Israel, is designed to defend naval vessels against incoming missiles, planes and drones.

Designed to defend against a variety of short-to-long- range airborne threats, including fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, drones and projectiles, Barak-8 incorporates a state-of-the-art phased array multi-mission radar, two-way data link, and a flexible command and control system, enabling users to simultaneously engage multiple targets day and night and in all weather conditions, defence sources here said.

Israel made MF-STAR radar system, which is capable of simultaneously tracking hundreds of airborne targets to a range of more than 250 kilometres, adds value to the marketing potential of the new system.

PTI