Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya successfully launches Barak 1 missile.

According to a tweet published by Defence Decode on August 31, 2022, the Indian navy's aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya has successfully launched Barak 1 surface-to-air missile (SAM).
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Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya firing Barak 1 surface to air missile (Picture source: Defence Decode)

INS Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier and the flagship of the Indian Navy which entered into service in 2013.

Originally built as Baku and commissioned in 1987, the carrier served with the Soviet Navy and later with the Russian Navy (as Admiral Gorshkov) before being decommissioned in 1996.

The carrier was invested by India on 20 January 2004 after years of negotiations at a final arms sales price of $2.35 billion. The transformed ship successfully completed her sea trials in July 2013 and first STOBAR aviation trials in September 2013.

As completed, Vikramaditya has a larger full load displacement than when the ship was originally launched in 1982 as Baku. 1,750 out of 2,500 compartments of the ship were re-fabricated, and extensive re-cabling was done to support new radars and sensors.

The elevators were upgraded, and two restraining stands were fitted, allowing combat aircraft to reach full power before making a ski jump-assisted short take-off.

Three arresting gears were fitted on the aft part of the angled deck, and navigation and carrier-landing aids were added to support fixed-wing "short take-off but arrested recovery" (STOBAR) operations.

About the Barak 1 missile

Barak is an Israeli surface-to-air missile (SAM) designed to be used as a ship-borne point-defense missile system against aircraft, anti-ship missiles, and UAVs.

The Barak SAM system is designed to replace or complement gun-based CIWS platforms, such as the Phalanx CIWS, with a more flexible and longer-range SAM. The missiles are mounted in an eight-cell container (which requires little maintenance) and are launched straight up.

The Barak SAM system's launcher uses a compact vertical launching system, with an 8-cell module weighing 1,700 kg (3,700 lb). Fire control is provided by an equally compact C3I system that weighs 1,300 kg (2,900 lb), which can either operate independently or in conjunction with other on-board sensors.

Its C3I radar system provides 360-degree coverage and the missiles can take down an incoming missile as close as 500 meters (1,600 ft) away from the ship.