NEW DELHI: India is likely to advance discussions on procuring the Israeli-origin “Sky Sting” long-range beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel on Wednesday, it is learnt.
The missile, pitched with an engagement envelope of around 250 km, is being positioned to plug a critical gap in the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) long-range air combat capability.
Sources said 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. If taken forward, the system will subsequently undergo trials and integration validation before being inducted and operationalised.
Such a model would also align with India’s push to balance immediate operational requirements with domestic manufacturing under technology partnerships, similar to the HAMMER guided bombs being co-produced by Safran and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
“Israel has been pitching the missile for some time and it is now being considered for integration on the Tejas Mk1A, with the initial tranche equipped with the Israeli ELM-2052 AESA radar,” a source said.
HAL’s delivery delays of the fighter are understood to be partly due to integration challenges of the radar with the indigenous Astra BVRAAM. Given that 180 Tejas Mk1A aircraft are on order, the platform could also be equipped with this missile, the source added.
The Sky Sting, unveiled around three years ago, is under development and is understood to have reached a degree of technological maturity, though it has not yet been inducted into operational service.
India already operates a range of 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. It is also 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 both indigenous and imported systems. The Astra Mk1, developed by DRDO and produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), has a range of around 110 km and forms the backbone of the indigenous capability. More advanced variants are under development, with the Astra Mk2 expected to extend the range beyond 200 km and the Astra Mk3, based on solid fuel ducted ramjet (SFDR) technology, projected to reach the 350 km class.
The IAF also operates Russian-origin R-77 missiles on its Su-30MKI fleet, alongside air to air missiles such as the Meteor with a range exceeding 200 km, the MICA with a range of up to 80 km and the I-Derby ER, providing a layered engagement capability
The talks would follow a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) inked between the Indian and Israeli defence ministries ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s visit. The agreement aims to move beyond buyer-seller arrangements towards co-development and co-production of next-generation systems, while also strengthening industry ties between the two countries.