Tel Aviv: As Israel is getting ready to retaliate the Iranian missile attack, two very advanced missiles are mentioned as part of the weapon systems that will be used by the Israeli air force. These are the Air LORA made by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the Rocks, made by Rafael.
According to IAI, the Air LORA – Air to Ground Missile, member of the LORA combat-proven family, addresses the special operational challenges of an air launched long range strike.
According to the company, the missile was developed for missions against high-value, well-protected targets such as command centres, air force bases, critical infrastructure, and naval vessels in dense littorals.
Equipped with either Blast Fragmentation or Deep Penetration warheads, Air LORA is optimised for stand-off range accuracy, capable of striking targets with supersonic velocity within minutes. Air LORA strikes target with precision, minimising collateral damage and maximising mission success.
Air LORA’s integration, training and ease of use is designed to ensure the most rapid initial operational capabilities (IOC) for an Air to Ground Missile. Air LORA can be seamlessly integrated into any aircraft as a stand-alone configuration or through existing avionics systems. It features fire-and-forget and autonomous operation, making it easy to train and deploy.
The missile’s advanced INS/GPS navigation and robust GNSS anti-jamming capabilities, together with supersonic speed and maximal attack angle ensure high survivability and mission success in contested environments and extreme weather conditions.
According to IAI, Air LORA empowers Air Forces with new offensive capabilities, enabling aircraft to remain at safe stand-off distances, unexposed to enemy defences, while achieving high-precision strikes. Its ability to adapt to changing target locations and its advanced guidance systems make it a vital asset in modern aerial strike missions.
The Israeli company says that the newest member of the LORA family is a game-changer in Air to Ground Missile technology, providing accurate, and survivable attack capabilities. It addresses all the critical requirements of contemporary aerial warfare, ensuring mission success while minimising risks and collateral damage.
According to military analysts, the recent Israeli attack that destroyed the Iranian Russian made S-300 air defence system’s radar was performed by an upgraded version of the Rocks missile developed by Israeli company Rafael.
Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack but it is clear that it was performed as a very pin point retaliation for the Iranian attack on Israeli targets by 350 cruise and ballistic missiles and armed drones.
According to an official Rafael release, the Rocks is a new generation extended stand-off range air-to-surface missile designed to strike high-value stationary and relocatable targets in a GPS-denied arena.
Equipped with either a penetration or blast fragmentation warhead, the missile can destroy above-ground or well protected underground targets in heavily surface-to-air defended areas.
According to the Israeli company, the pilot allocates a mission for the missile before release. The mission includes target coordinates, impact angle and azimuth, topographic imagery data, and fuse delays.
Rocks is released well outside of the surface-to-air defended area, and performs a high-velocity trajectory to minimise attrition of both launching aircraft and missile, providing high target kill success.
The missile uses its INS/GPS for conducting its midcourse trajectory. Homing, up to target destruction, is performed by using its scene-matching technology or anti-radiation capability, overcoming any GPS jamming scenario.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
