Advanced missile gives longer-range defense against multiple threats, including ballistic missiles.
By Yakir Benzion, United With Israel
Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) announced Monday that it completed all testing of its advanced Barak extended range anti-aircraft missile and has started the process of delivering to customers.
The challenging field trials tested the system’s capabilities in a range of scenarios and threats, including the interception of an assaulting ballistic target by the Barak ER (Extended Range) interceptor.
Developed by IAI, the Barak ER Air Defense System combines the capability to intercept airborne threats and ballistic targets at an extended range of 150 kilometers and can be fitted for both naval and land platforms.
The smart launchers are capable of independently launching and managing any mix of interceptors without a dedicated command post on site. The sophisticated battle management system optimizes the interceptors to match threats in real time, including ballistic missiles, fighter aircraft, cruise missiles and drones.
“The Barak Air Defense System is a modern yet mature, operationally proven system that maximizes the capabilities required to meet threats today, in particular against ballistic targets,” said IAI CEO Boaz Levy.
“IAI produces all of the system’s elements in-house, including: radars, launchers, missiles, and the command and control center. Only select companies in the world possess such comprehensive capabilities,” he said.
IAI’s Barak is one of the world’s most advanced defense systems. Operationally proven, it is used by several armies worldwide, including the Israeli Navy, India’s air-force, army and navy, and additional customers.
Living in a dangerous neighborhood where missile threats – especially from Iran – have increased over the years, Israel has become a world leader at missile defense not just with the Barak interceptors, but also with the famous Iron Dome system.
Iron Dome, produced in Israel by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, has proven itself over and over by intercepting hundreds of rockets fired by terrorists in Gaza and Lebanon that are aimed at Israeli civilian population centers.
While the Barak ER is designed for longer-range interceptions, Iron Dome is seen in Israel as a lifesaver for its high success rate at intercepting rockets fired by Hamas and other terror organizations.
Like the Barak family of interceptor defense missiles produced by IAI that have only gotten better over the years, Rafael recently announced improvements to the Iron Dome system, two of which were recently delivered to the United States Army.