Navy pushes for Israeli Barak on all warships

oing by the accuracy of the

Israeli-made Barak system, now wants to put Baraks on all its frontline warships, starting with this missile frigate three months

from now.

Barak launchers are currently operational on aircraft carrier INS Viraat, two Delhi-class destroyers, two Godavari-class frigates and two Rajput-class destroyers among a few others. The three indigenously-built Brahmaputra-class guided missile frigates will be armed with Barak launchers and missiles over the next three to six months.

The government cleared the procurement of seven more Barak systems for the navy in December last year. Each Barak system consists of six-eight vertical tube launchers and six or more missiles, track and guidance radar and a fire-control system. The missiles intercept and destroy incoming missiles, hostile aircraft and unmanned drones.

Skipper of INS Brahmaputra Captain Kapil Gupta told The Indian Express, “They have proved to be very successful with the navy. This ship is heavily armed already, and we will be getting a Barak system in the next three-four months.”

On Saturday night, following the demonstration of Baraks’ firepower for the Prime Minister, Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash said, “Not many navies can boast of this technology. In time, every one of our ships will be equipped with this.’’

Considering that DRDO has been unable to effectively produce an anti-missile system — the Trishul has not worked out and the Akash has still not been modified for the anti-missile role — the navy had pushed hard for more Baraks. After months of negotiations, on January 27, Barak’s manufacturer Israeli Aircraft Industries and Hyderabad-based DRDL entered into an agreement to jointly develop and make next-generation Baraks, with a range much higher than the current 8-12 km.

These missiles, when developed and ready for use are likely to be integrated onto future platforms.

shiv.aroor@expressindia.com