Indian Air Force and MBDA ink agreement to localise MICA missile sustainment on 06 May 2026

Key facts

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) signed an agreement with European defence major MBDA to establish a domestic Maintenance, Repair and Mid-Life Overhaul (MRO) facility for MICA air-to-air missiles.
• The MRO facility will be set up, operated, and maintained by the IAF, with MBDA supplying industrial machinery, tools, data packages, training, and technical support.
• The MICA is a short-to-medium range air-to-air missile used on Rafale fighter aircraft for both beyond-visual-range and close-combat engagements, with a strike range of 60-80 km.
• The MICA missile system includes both active radar-guided and infrared-guided variants to engage multiple aerial threats in diverse combat environments.
• MBDA also supplies the Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) for the Rafale, which features a ramjet propulsion system and a strike range exceeding 150 km.