India’s MoD to Procure 131 Israeli Barak Missiles, 240 Russian Bombs Worth $269 Million

India’s defence ministry on Tuesday approved the purchase of 131 Barak missiles and associated equipment for the Indian Navy at a cost of Rs 460 crore (US$72 million), a ministry press release states.

The ministry also cleared procurement of 240 precision-guided munitions or bombs, at a cost of Rs. 1254 crore (US$197 million) from Rosonboron Export, Russia for the Indian Air Force (IAF). Together, the two procurements ware worth $269 Million.

The LRSAM, or Barak-8 naval air defense system, is jointly developed by India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in close collaboration with Israel's Israel Aircraft Industry (IAI).

These missiles are surface to air missiles designed to be used as a ship-borne anti-missile defence system against anti-ship missiles, the release states.

The system comprises of advanced phased-array radar, command and control systems, as well as launchers and missiles with advanced RF seekers. With state-of-the-art technology, the system provides missile defense against a variety of aerial, naval and air-borne threats.

The Russian-made bombs, which fall under the category of Precision Guided Munitions, are used by Indian Air Force (IAF) for launched from aircraft such as the Su-30MKI. This procurement will address the deficiency of Precision Guided Munitions in the IAF arsenal, besides enhancing the offensive capabilities of the IAF, the release said.

The proposals were cleared by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on January 2, 2018.