Israel and India: The Defense Ties That Bind

Of the 1.3 billion people in India, at least 1.1 million Hindus and Sikhs have no love for Islam. When Muslims ruled over India, between 70 and 80 million Hindus were massacred, until those Mughal rulers realized it was better to keep the Hindus alive so that they might provide the jizyah that would support the Muslim state. India and Israel thus have a natural affinity with one another, sharing a common enemy,, and the latest defense deals between the two countries are another example of the ties that bind. More on those deals can be found here: “Israel’s Rampage missile success in Operation Sindoor drives new India defense deal,” Jerusalem Post, November 10, 2025:

Ministry of Defense director general Gen. (res.) Amir Baram last week signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with his Indian counterpart Rajesh Kumar Singh for strengthening defense collaboration. India is the biggest customer of Israel’s defense industries, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Between 2020 and 2024, India accounted for about 34% of all Israel’s defense exports.

Building on this, a delegation from the Indian Ministry of Defense has secretly visited Israel, as reported on the “India Defense Research Wing” website, to reach agreements that would allow India to not only procure Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) Air Lora ballistic missiles and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ice Breaker cruise missiles, but also to manufacture them.

Allowing another country to manufacture its most advanced ballistic and cruise missiles is a sign of how close the Jewish state’s ties with India have become. It is especially notable because India also has ties to Russia, and if the Russians were to acquire that missile technology, and then to pass it on to Moscow’s quasi-ally Iran, this would be cause for alarm. Apparently Israel’s defense and security establishment has faith that the Indians will be able to protect the secrets of the Jewish state’s latest ballistic and cruise missiles. I assume that no Muslims will be involved in the manufacturing of those missiles.

Previous reports in India have already suggested that India wants Air Lora missiles following the great success of the Rampage missiles during recent skirmishes with Pakistan. Rampage has a range of about 250 kilometers, and the Indian Air Force deploys it on Sukhoi 30 and MiG 29 aircraft. It is very precise, but its range puts India’s combat aircraft at risk from Pakistan’s Chinese-produced air defense systems. The Air Lora missile has a range of 400 kilometers, which enables combat aircraft to hit their targets without endangering themselves in the face of advanced air defenses.

Air Lora, which was developed in IAI’s MLM Division, is designed for attacking missile sites, military bases, and air defense systems, without endangering planes and pilots. The missile weighs 1,600 kilograms, flies at supersonic speeds, and uses satellite navigation protected against disruption. One of its outstanding features is that it is “fire and forget”, meaning that once it has been launched at the target, there is no need to guide it. It can carry various warheads, for deployment against soft targets or against bunkers. With its 400 kilometers range and accuracy to within ten meters, it will enable India to hit any Pakistani base.

At the same time, India is also interested in the “Ice Breaker” cruise missile, which is designed for attacks at ranges of about 300 km against land and sea targets. The missile is effective in all weather conditions, can function well in environments saturated with electronic warfare, and has infrared (IIR)-based navigation and missile guidance capabilities, which, through AI, can acquire and identify targets.

Israeli defense industries in general, and IAI in particular, are very experienced in operations in India….

The Indian military was impressed with how well the Rampage missiles that it had bought from Israel performed in the latest skirmish with Pakistan. And that, in turn, made the Indians eager to acquire the Air Lora ballistic missiles and the “Ice Breaker” cruise missiles from Israel. In fact, the Israelis did not agree just to sell both missiles to India, but to allow the Indians to manufacture them, a sign of the tremendous trust between the two states’ militaries.

One wonders if, given India’s eagerness to have access to Israel’s advanced weaponry, the Israelis could not persuade the Indians to cease voting against the Jewish state at the UN, and even, instead of voting “Present,” do the right thing and vote, along with the United States and a dozen other countries, against those endless anti-Israel resolutions that keep being brought to a vote at the General Assembly.

AUTHOR