Indian Navy To Procure Israeli Barak Missiles For $143 million

The Indian Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday cleared the acquisition of $143 million worth 262 Israeli Barak-I anti-missile defense (AMD) system to be fitted to 14 frontline warships, according to local media reports.

The procurement case was finalized by Defense Ministry after the Attorney General gave an opinion in favor of procuring the missiles as their acquisition was put on hold in view of a CBI probe into charges of corruption in the deal.

The Navy had made a strong case for the 9-km range air defense missile and had told the ministry that it was left with only around 150 of these weapons.

The AMD missile systems are designed to intercept incoming enemy missiles at a range of 9-km. India has ordered first Barak-I systems for INS Virat in the late 1990s to counter Pakistan’s Exocet and Harpoon missiles.