Indian Air Force eyes Israeli Air LORA ballistic missile for enhanced strike capabilities: Report

Air Launched Ballistic Missile (ALBM) Air Lora (Image courtesy: Israel Aerospace Industries - www.iai.co.il/p/air-lora)

The Indian Air Force is exploring the acquisition of Long-Range Artillery (LORA) missiles manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), reports indicate. The ballistic missile system can enable aircraft to remain at safe stand-off distances while achieving high-precision strikes, with its ability to adapt to changing target locations that are as far as 400 kilometres.

Defence publication IDRW has reported that post Operation Sindoor, the interest in the procurement of the LORA system has risen from the established partnership between IAI and India's state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) — which had been formalized through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2023. And the IAF will likely leverage the existing bilateral arrangement for procurement of this air defence system.

BEL had said that the partnership with IAI would enable domestic industry participation and help equip the Indian Armed Forces with cutting-edge air defence technologies.

What is the Air Lora ballistic missile system?

As per the IAI website, the Air LORA missile system is an advanced air-launched ballistic missile system that has been specifically engineered for engaging heavily-defended, high-priority targets. These include command and control facilities, military airfields, vital infrastructure, and naval assets operating in congested coastal waters.

IAI calls it a 'revolutionary advancement in air-to-ground missile systems' which can deliver precise strike capabilities with enhanced survivability characteristics.

The LORA system has a maximum engagement range of 430 kilometers, while maintaining a minimum engagement distance of 90 kilometers.

Long-Range Artillery missile system: Specifications

IAI says that the AIR LORA Air Launched Ballistic Missile (ALBM) system can be equipped with either 'Blast Fragmentation or Deep Penetration warheads'. It is optimized for stand-off range accuracy and strikes targets with supersonic velocity within minutes while minimizing collateral damage and maximizing mission success.

The company mentions that integration, training and ease-of-use is designed to ensure the most rapid initial operational capabilities (IOC) for an Air Launched Ballistic Missile, featuring seamless integration into any aircraft as a stand-alone configuration or through existing avionics systems with fire-and-forget and autonomous operation.

IAI says AIR LORA's advanced INS/GPS navigation and robust GNSS anti-jamming capabilities, when combined with supersonic speed and maximal attack angle, ensure high survivability and mission success in all environments and extreme weather conditions.

It can enable aircraft to remain at safe stand-off distances while achieving high-precision strikes, with its ability to adapt to changing target locations.

IAI has successfully completed an operational dual firing trial with the LORA (Long-Range Artillery Weapon System). https://t.co/SbGS0UzPFc pic.twitter.com/NyrDYU3Tv3

— Israel Aerospace Industries (@ILAerospaceIAI) June 2, 2020