TEL AVIV — The Israeli Navy’s “ultimate answer” to the Russian Yakhont anti-ship sea-skimming cruise missile has been validated in India for land-based air defenders, according to India’s Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the prime contractor for the joint program known here as Barak-8.
The June 30 test of the Indian Air Force MRSAM – a medium-range, land-based version of the longer-ranged Barak-8 system produced for the Indian and Israeli navies – “validated all components of the weapon system to the satisfaction of the customer,” according to IAI.
According to a July 7 statement, Israeli and Indian program officials witnessed three flight tests, each one simulating “different extreme reference scenarios validating various system capabilities.” Launched from land-based mobile launchers, each of the three tests successfully destroyed targets simulating enemy threats.