Barak ( he, ברק, ''

lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an avera ...

'') is an Israeli surface-to-air missile (SAM) designed to be used as a ship-borne

point-defense Point defence (or point defense; see spelling differences) is the defence of a single object or a limited area, e.g. a ship, building or an airfield, now usually against air attacks and guided missiles. Point defence weapons have a smaller range in ...

missile system against aircraft,

anti-ship missile An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A goo ...

s, and

UAVs An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controlle ...

Overview

The Barak SAM system is designed to replace or complement gun-based

CIWS A close-in weapon system (CIWS ) is a point-defense weapon system for detecting and destroying short-range incoming missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses, typically mounted on a naval ship. Nearly all classes of l ...

platforms, such as the

Phalanx CIWS The Phalanx CIWS (often spoken as "sea-wiz") is a gun-based close-in weapon system to defend military watercraft automatically against incoming threats such as aircraft, missiles, and small boats. It was designed and manufactured by the Gen ...

, 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 A vertical launching system (VLS) is an advanced system for holding and firing missiles on mobile naval platforms, such as surface ships and submarines. Each vertical launch system consists of a number of ''cells'', which can hold one or mor ...

, with an 8-cell module weighing . Fire control is provided by an equally compact C3I system that weighs , 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 away from the ship. Each Barak system (missile container, radar, computers and installation) costs about $24 million. The system is designed to defend against aircraft and

s, including

sea-skimming Sea skimming is a technique many anti-ship missiles and some fighter or strike aircraft use to avoid radar, infrared detection, and to lower probability of being shot down during their approach to the target. Method Sea-skimming anti-ship missi ...

missiles.

Flight tests

The missile was tested on 24 March 2017 by the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates si ...

from during Operation Readiness Inspection in the Arabian Sea.

Operators

Current operators

* * - On 14 warships, including the s and the aircraft carrier . This system is already deployed on the Indian navy's third aircraft carrier . * *

Allegations

The alleged Indian Barak missile purchase controversy was mainly due to allegations of defense industry corruption, and also due to allegations that the deal was over-priced and processed on a single-tender basis. By 2013, the allegations were unproven and the investigations were inconclusive due to lack of evidence, and the case is likely to be closed. The investigation of the allegations began in 2006, and were done by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which arrested several people including the former

Samata Party The Samata Party (SAP) is a political party in India, initially formed in 1994 by George Fernandes and Nitish Kumar, now led by Uday Mandal its National President. Samata Party once launched Nitish Kumar as the Chief Minister of Bihar. It was ...

treasurer R.K. Jain. On 23 December 2013, India's Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defense Minister AK Antony cleared a second order of 262 Barak-I missiles for .

References

External links

Barak 1 on IAI websiteBarak 1 on Rafael websiteBarak 1 brochure on Rafael website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barak Sam Surface-to-air missiles of Israel Naval surface-to-air missiles IAI missiles Close-in weapon systems 21st-century surface-to-air missiles MLM products