India Conducts Additional Successful Test of Aerial Defense Missile It Co-Developed With Israel
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by Barney Breen-Portnoy
A Barak 8 missile being launched during a past test. Photo: Indian Navy.
India conducted a successful test on Tuesday of a long-range surface-to-air missile system it co-developed with Israel, Indian media outlets reported.
According to the reports, a Barak 8 missile was launched from a facility in the eastern Indian state of Odisha.
In a tweet, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee congratulated India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) on the test.
The Barak 8 is capable of shooting down a wide variety of airborne threats at a range of around 45 miles.
Tuesday’s test was the latest in a series of checks the system has undergone during the course of its development over the past half a decade.
Both the Israeli and Indian navies plan to install the system on ships.
The Hebrew news site Ynet reported that the Barak 8 will be able to intercept the advanced Russian-made Yakhont anti-ship cruise missile possessed by the Syrian military and, some believe, Hezbollah.
Israel and India enjoy a burgeoning relationship in the defense field. As reported by The Algemeiner in August, the Indian military plans to equip itself with an Israeli radar system that will enable Indian troops to detect terrorists hiding in dense forests along its disputed border with Pakistan in the Kashmir region.
