Indian Navy pushes for Israeli Barak

When the Indian Navy gave Prime Minister Manmohan Singh an operational demonstration last Saturday of a Barak missile intercepting and destroying an incoming anti-ship missile, there was a subtle message embedded in the brazen firepower.
The navy has emerged as the first of the three armed forces to successfully induct anti-missile defence into its operational profile and, 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.

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