India, Israel likely to ink MoU on tech transfer for Iron Dome, Iron Beam, advanced missiles

NEW DELHI: With PM Narendra Modi landing in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, India and Israel are on the cusp of signing a landmark defence agreement that will take security ties between the two “friendly countries” to new heights. It is believed that there won’t be sale of any weapon this time, with the focus being on transfer of technologies for exclusive advanced weapons systems that Israel has not offered to any other country till now.

In his address to the Israeli Parliament Knesset, Modi said, “In today's uncertain world, a strong defence partnership between trusted partners like India and Israel is of vital importance.”


The latest Indo-Israel defence cooperation, in the form of an MoU, is likely to have two dimensions: tie-up for defensive systems and collaboration for offensive weapons, according to local media in Israel.

In the field of defensive systems, deals are expected to focus on Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)’s Arrow missile defence system, Rafael’s David’s Sling (can handle medium-range missiles and drones up to 300km) and Iron Dome (can intercept short-range rockets up to 4 - 70 km), and Rafael and Elbit’s Iron Beam (100 kW beam designed to kill hostile aerial threats up to 10 km). However, all these Israel companies are tightlipped about the intended deals.
In the field of offensive weapons, agreements are expected to be struck and, in some cases have already been inked, for Rafael’s SPICE 1000 guidance kits, Elbit Systems’ Rampage air-to-ground missiles, Ice Breaker naval cruise missiles and IAI’s supersonic Air LORA missiles.

Taking lessons from the Pakistan conflict last May when Islamabad sent waves of Turkish drones and Chinese PL-15 long-range air-to-air missiles towards India to target its military and civilian assets, the Modi govt wants to fortify the country’s borders with an impregnable missile shield. Though India possesses Russia’s S400 missile shield, Israel-developed Barak systems and indigenous Akash system to thwart aerial attacks, the country needs more effective systems like Israel’s Iron Dome and Iron Beam to make this shield impregnable and protect its vast 15,106-km land borders and 7,516.6-km coastline. India wants technology transfer to manufacture these weapons under the ‘Make in India’ initiative in order to integrate them into its upcoming “Sudarshan Chakra” for a pan-India multi-layered shield by 2035.

There could be talks on acquisition of Golden Horizon, believed to be a successor of the Sparrow target missile family. Golden Horizon is a rare class of weapons designed to be released from aircraft. This missile can, therefore, easily be integrated with IAF’s Sukhoi-30MKI jets. The missile system, with a strike range of 1,000-2,000 km and speeds that can reach Mach 5, is designed to penetrate underground bunkers, hardened military installations and even nuclear facilities. At such velocity, intercepting this missile with existing air-defence systems becomes extremely difficult. This makes it significantly faster than India’s BrahMos cruise missile, which travels at Mach 3 and is widely regarded as the world’s fastest operational supersonic cruise missile.

Talks may also happen on buying Israel’s Iron Beam 100-kW-class laser weapon system, which will bolster India’s air defences against drones and missiles. Iron Beam is also cost-effective as a 100-kW laser weapon costs just $2 per shot.

Another big announcement expected is the establishment of a security alliance: Israeli PM Netanyahu last Sunday told his cabinet that he envisaged India as part of a “hexagon of alliances” around the Middle East that would also include “Arab nations, African nations, Mediterranean nations — Greece and Cyprus — and nations in Asia.” The intention, he said, is to unite against what he called “the radical axes” of Islam, including the version he sees as represented by Iran’s regime.