India to evaluate Israeli 'Sky Sting' long-range BVRAAM during PM Modi visit to Israel

Key facts

• India is likely to advance discussions on procuring the Israeli-origin 'Sky Sting' long-range beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel on Wednesday.
• The Sky Sting missile, with an engagement envelope of around 250 km, is pitched to plug a critical gap in the Indian Air Force's long-range air combat capability.
• The proposal is likely to follow a phased route, with an initial off-the-shelf acquisition followed by localised production with Rafael Advanced Defence Systems.
• The system will undergo trials and integration validation before induction and operationalisation.
• Israel has been pitching the missile for integration on the Tejas Mk1A, with the initial tranche equipped with the Israeli ELM-2052 AESA radar.
• HAL's delivery delays of the Tejas Mk1A are partly due to integration challenges of the radar with the indigenous Astra BVRAAM.
• The Sky Sting, unveiled around three years ago, is under development and has not yet been inducted into operational service.
• India already operates Rafael-origin systems including the I-Derby ER and Python-5 air-to-air missiles, the SPYDER air defence system, and precision strike weapons such as SPICE and Rampage.
• India is a key partner in the development of the Barak-8 air defence system deployed across the three services.
• The IAF's current BVRAAM inventory includes the indigenous Astra Mk1 with a range of around 110 km, produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).
• The Astra Mk2 is under development to extend range beyond 200 km, and the Astra Mk3, based on solid fuel ducted ramjet technology, is projected to reach 350 km.
• The IAF also operates Russian-origin R-77 missiles on its Su-30MKI fleet, alongside the Meteor with range exceeding 200 km, the MICA with range up to 80 km, and the I-Derby ER.
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was recently inked between the Indian and Israeli defence ministries ahead of Prime Minister Modi's visit to move towards co-development and co-production of next-generation systems.