Four days after Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced the delivery of an air defense system to an unnamed country in a deal worth $1.2 billion, reports from Baku say that Azerbaijan has procured the Barak MX system.
As “Globes” reported in September, IAI demonstrated the Barak MX system before senior figures in Baku, with the system probably designed to protect Azerbaijan against the threat from Iran.
The deal in which IAI will serve as the lead contractor is being conducted by Israel’s Ministry of Defense. The Barak MX can also be used by Azerbaijan in its economic waters in the Caspian Sea in order to broader its air defenses.
The Barak MX system has several key components at the forefront of technology, which include interceptors, launchers, command and control systems, advanced radar, and multi-systems and inter-systems communications. The Barak MX is one of IAI’s most advanced products.
IAI CEO Boaz Levy said after the deal was closed, “Following the Swords of Iron War, IAI is in an accelerated process of providing systems and solutions for Israel’s security forces in all theaters, at sea, on land and in the air and in space and is at the same time is also working for all our customers around the world. This deal joins a range of deals for air defense systems that have been recently signed, which strengthen the company’s status as a global leader in the field.”
The exercise in which the system was demonstrated in Azerbaijan included live fire from operational batteries and in full operational configuration. As part of the exercise, several end units of the Barak MX air defense system were activated, including the LR and ER versions, which involved war games with advanced weapon systems, in which a ballistic missile was intercepted.
Combining interceptor missiles
The Barak MX system is supported by radar and various launchers for covering combat aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, cruise missiles, and ground-to-air and ground-to-ground missiles. The system is based on a smart and operations-proven control center, which can be combined with other interceptor missiles: Barak MRAD for high-speed short range vertical launch, adapted to handle threats up to 35 kilometers and including a radar homing warhead with only a one pulse engine; the mid-range lightning interceptor LRAD is launched vertically at high speed, adapted to deal with threats at a range of up to 70 kilometers and includes a radar homing warhead with a two-pulse engine; and the long-range lightning interceptor ER launched vertically and includes a booster engine, a two-pulse rocket engine and an advanced radar homing head.
Increasing the interception range of the Barak ER is achieved by adding a rocket booster and adjusting the communication and radar capabilities to a range of 150 kilometers.
