India plans to acquire and locally produce Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) Long Range Artillery (LORA) ballistic missiles and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems’ Ice Breaker cruise missiles.
The move comes after a defense memorandum of understanding was signed by India’s Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Israeli Defense Director General Amir Baram.
Israeli media, citing the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), noted that India accounted for roughly 34% of Israel’s defense exports from 2020–2024, making New Delhi the largest buyer of Israeli military equipment in that period.
Reports say India’s interest in Air LORA was reinforced by the performance of the Rampage missile in recent encounters with Pakistan. While Rampage, with a range near 250 kilometres and deployed from aircraft such as the Sukhoi-30 and MiG-29, is highly accurate. At the same time, its shorter range exposes launch aircraft to advanced air-defense systems.
Air LORA, developed by IAI’s MLM division, reportedly extends operational reach to about 400 kilometres, allowing strikes on enemy sites while keeping aircraft outside the threat envelope.
Descriptions of the system highlight a 1,600-kilogram weight, supersonic flight, satellite-based navigation hardened against jamming, a “fire-and-forget” capability, and the ability to carry different warheads for use against soft targets or fortified positions, with claimed accuracy on the order of ten metres.
India has also shown interest in Rafael’s Ice Breaker cruise missile, which is designed to engage both land and maritime targets at ranges near 300 kilometres. The weapon is said to operate effectively in all weather and contested electronic environments, employing infrared-guided navigation and guidance aided by artificial intelligence for target acquisition and identification.
“Hamane izarail se LORA liya hai. yah LORA bhaaratamaata ko atyant shaanadaar tareeke se suraksha pradaan karega”
Modi speaking to media!
Designer deserves a raise 🤣