India tested Barak 8 SAM – 2-way datalink and speed Mach 3

NEW DELHI, ($1=76.05 Indian Rupees) — The Ministry of Defense of India, through the Defense Research and Development Organization [DRDO], has conducted two successful flight tests of the MRSAM-Army surface-to-air missile system, BulgarianMilitary.com has learned, citing a press release from the Indian Defense Ministry.

The tests were carried out on Sunday, March 27, at the Chandipur Integrated Test Site, which is located near the shores of Odisha. The Indian MRSAM-Armi [Medium range surface-to-air missile] system used the Indo-Israeli Barak 8 surface-to-air missile, which intercepted and destroyed high-speed air targets, the ministry said in a statement.

New Delhi confirmed that the two flight tests were performed to intercept two targets with different ranges – the first test was to intercept a long-range target, while the second intercepted short-range targets with a small range. height. Military observers said during the tests that the system had proven its ability to intercept targets at critical distances.

MRSAM-Armi and Barak 8

MRSAM-Armi is an anti-aircraft missile system launching a surface-to-air missile Barak 8. Both were developed in joint cooperation between India and Israel. On the Indian side, the companies involved in the development of the weapon system are Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited, and on the Israeli side Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

The system and the missile were manufactured specifically for the needs of the Indian Army. However, in addition to India and Israel, the operators of the Barak 8 missile are Azerbaijan and Morocco, and there are currently requests for purchase from Germany, Poland, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Finland.

Barak 8 weighs 275 kg and is capable of carrying a warhead of up to 60 kg. Powered by a smokeless dual pulsed rocket engine; 1-stage or 2-stage rocket variants, and depending on the type and launch system can reach targets from 70 to 150 km. The maximum height it can reach is 30 km.

The earlier version of the missile could fly at a maximum speed of Mach 2, but the new version after successful tests by the Polish Navy reached a speed of Mach 3. The missile has a 2-way datalink guidance system, active RF Seeker, and IIR. India has a naval version of the missile, which is launched from an 8 cell vertical launch module.