Rafael to supply 1000 BARAK 8 MRSAM missile kits to Indian Army and Air Force.

At a ceremony earlier today (July 11th, 2019) by KRAS (Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems Ltd. India), RAFAEL presented a $100 M contract to KRAS for the manufacturing of 1,000 BARAK 8/ MRSAM missile kits to be supplied to BDL via IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) for further integration purposes.

Barak 8 surface-to-air missile at Paris Air Show, June 2013. (Picture source Army Recognition)

In keeping with its commitment to Make-in-India, KRAS is a Joint Venture between RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. and Kalyani Strategic Systems. The JV was established with the vision of manufacturing weapon systems required by the Indian Defense Forces, as well as for the export market. Keeping with its commitment to Make-in-India, the JV partners are investing in Best-in-Class production facilities, state-of-the-art engineering service and extended life-cycle-support for systems supplied to the Indian Defence forces. In its endeavor to fulfill the stakeholders' vision of Make-in-India for the world, KRAS is expected to ramp up its employee strength to 300 technical experts by the year 2023.

RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. has a rich history of collaboration with India’s defense industries, resulting in multiple Joint Ventures and subsidiaries around the world and in India. These partnerships, over the past two decades, have led RAFAEL to set up local partnerships to support its domestic needs as well as a global supply chain.

Jointly developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Israel's Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure, Elta Systems, RAFAEL and other companies, Barak 8 is a surface-to-air missile (SAM), designed to defend against any type of airborne threat including aircraft, helicopters, anti-ship missiles, and UAVs, as well as ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and combat jets.

Brigadier General (res.) EVP Pini Yungman, Head of RAFAEL’s Air Defense Systems Division emphasized KRAS's commitment to the operational readiness of the Indian Army and Indian Air Force. “We at RAFAEL are proud of our role - not only in KRAS - but also of our participation in Make-in-India, and our strong relationship with the vibrant talent across India’s defense industries. As we mark the end of this project, we look forward to celebrating many more milestones with KRAS, as well as with our many other partners in India.”

Mr. Baba Kalyani, Chairman of the Kalyani Group: “This order is a testimony to the capabilities that exist in the country and how they can be utilized to truly achieve the aim of ‘Make-in-India’. Kalyani Group is immensely proud of this achievement and our association with RAFAEL. We are confident in our ability to realize many more such orders.”