As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands in Israel, his second state visit to the Jewish country, New Delhi is keen to advance talks to procure the Israeli-origin “Sky Sting” beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM).
The Israeli AAM missile is still under development, but it has some striking features and can blunt China and Pakistan’s reported advantage in BVR combat, given BVRAAMs such as the PL-15 and PL-17 (not exported to Pakistan).
Furthermore, the missile’s lightweight (between 180-200 kg) facilitates carriage by a light aircraft such as the Tejas Mk-1A fighter jets, enhancing their lethality. However, the Indian Air Force (IAF) would also like to integrate it with the Su-30 MKI fighters.
Israel’s Sky Sting air-to-air missile has a range of 250 km.
A three-pulse solid-fuel rocket motor gives it an end-game velocity exceeding Mach 5. Its RF seeker features AI-driven target discrimination and is jam-resistant. It uses a data link that enables two-way data transfer between the missile and the pilot.
Its radio-frequency (RF) seeker provides early target lock-on, great precision, and potent Electronic Counter-Countermeasures (ECCM).
The proposal is likely to follow a phased route, with an initial off-the-shelf acquisition followed by localized production with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. If taken forward, the system will subsequently undergo trials and integration validation before being inducted and operationalized.
“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 told the New Indian Express.
The report further suggested that the SKY STING acquisition is significant, as HAL is facing difficulties in integrating the domestically developed Astra MK1 BVRAAM with the Israeli ELM-2052 AESA radar fitted on the Tejas Mk-1A.
This integration challenge could be one of the key reasons for the delayed delivery timelines of Tejas MK1A to the IAF.
Given that 180 Tejas Mk1A aircraft are on order, the platform could also be equipped with this missile, the source added.
Notably, India already operates a range of Rafael-origin systems, including the I-Derby ER and Python-5 air-to-air missiles, the SPYDER air defense system, and precision strike weapons such as SPICE and Rampage.
SPICE-2000 precision-guided bombs were used by the IAF during Balakot airstrikes in 2019, as well as during Operation Sindoor last year. Similarly, supersonic air-to-surface missiles, the Rampage, were launched from Su-30MKI fighter jets during Operation Sindoor.
Though the addition of SKY STING will be a capability boost to the IAF’s BVR capabilities, the acquisition is not without controversy.
There are apprehensions that SKY STING’s acquisition will scuttle India’s domestic Astra development program.
The Astra Mk1, developed by DRDO and produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), has a range of around 110 km. 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.
Expressing these fears, former IAF fighter pilot and defense analyst Vijainder K Thakur said, “Though the Sky Sting will reportedly have outstanding features, they are not features that cannot be embodied into future Astra variants. So, the adaptation of the Israeli missile at this stage makes little sense. It will certainly sideline the Astra project.”
So, why is the Indian government keen on a foreign platform when a domestic alternative is available, and will SKY STING’s acquisition hurt India’s ambitions for self-reliance in defense?
SKY STING’s Import
India’s dreams of achieving self-reliance in defense are standing at a crossroads.
New Delhi’s budding defense-industrial ecosystem is facing an existential dilemma: the impossible choice between supporting sluggish but promising indigenous weapon systems or importing proven platforms to plug immediate operational gaps.
The debate is not new and will not be settled anytime soon.
While the discourse on social media is often dominated by polarized views at the extremes, the often-beaten dichotomy between “import Bahadurs” and ‘Atmanirbhar fanatics’-the answer, here as with anything else, lies in following a middle path.
To cautiously import everything that is needed by the armed forces to plug its operational gaps in the present, while also supporting ‘Make in India’ efforts in the long run.
In today’s world, self-reliance in defense is essential to maintaining sovereignty. Europe is learning this the hard way.
At the same time, while pursuing the illusion of complete Atmannirbharta, New Delhi cannot compromise India’s armed forces’ preparedness in the present.
As Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said recently, India cannot fight future conflicts with the strategies or tools of the past.
Furthermore, sometimes the choice is not as stark as it’s made out to be.
Importing a specific weapon system doesn’t necessarily mean abandoning its domestic under-development alternative permanently.
A case in point is India placing an order for 180 Tejas MK1A fighter jets while simultaneously pursuing a deal to co-produce 114 Rafale fighter jets.
The strategy is also not peculiar to India. Turkey is investing in its indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet, KAAN, while also pursuing the F-35 deal with the US.
At times, importing a weapon system is not only to plug an operational gap but also to address critical technological bottlenecks the domestic industry might be facing.
Co-producing a proven foreign platform with significant indigenous content could expose the domestic industry to crucial technologies that could also aid its local development.
In this context, the emerging India-Israel defense partnership has moved beyond the typical buyer-seller relationship, with Israeli weapons systems often filling critical gaps in the Indian military arsenal until domestic alternatives are tested and integrated.
Israel, in fact, is at the very heart of India’s dreams of self-reliance in defense, so much so that it could be argued that India’s road to Atmannirbharta in defense runs through Jerusalem.
For example, the Tejas fighter jet program, equipped with domestically developed UTTAM radar and Astra MK1, MK2, & MK3 BVR air-to-air missiles, as well as the indigenous air defense system Sudarshan Chakra, is heavily reliant on Israeli solutions to fill gaps.
The Israeli defense platforms, then, instead of undermining the domestic weapons systems, become their lifeline.
How Israel is Key To India’s Tejas Program
Israel is supplying many critical parts for the Tejas LCA.
For the Tejas Mk1 variant, Israeli companies have supplied the EL/M-2032 Multi-Mode Radar (Elta Systems), the Litening Targeting Pod (Rafael) for high-resolution electro-optical imagery and precision targeting, the Derby BVR Missile, and the Python-5 AAM (Rafael).
The Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Tejas fighter jet is also equipped with the Israeli Elbit Systems’ DASH-IV Helmet-Mounted Display System (HMDS). These Israeli systems have been integrated into the 38 Tejas Mk1 fighter jets delivered to the IAF.
Similarly, the Mk1A variant will also feature critical Israeli systems.
The Mk1A variant will feature the advanced EL/M-2052 AESA Radar (Elta Systems); however, it will only be a stopgap solution till India’s home-grown Uttam AESA radar is ready for integration, Litening Targeting Pod, Derby and Python missiles, SPICE Guidance Kits (Rafael), and advanced Elbit DASH-V Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS).
According to reports, HAL is facing difficulties in integrating the Astra MK1 air-to-air missile with the Israeli ELM-2052 AESA radar fitted on the Tejas Mk-1A. This integration delay is further pushing the Tejas MK1A delivery timelines at a time when the IAF is struggling with its lowest squadron strength since 1962.
The IAF is down to 29 squadrons, below its sanctioned strength of 42. Furthermore, in the coming years, many squadrons of Jaguars, MiG-29, and Mirage-2000 will be retired.
At such a crucial juncture, importing SKY STING ensures Tejas MK1A’s swift delivery and full operational capability, while, in the meantime, HAL could continue working on the domestic UTTAM radar and on integrating Astra MK1 & MK2 with this radar.
SKY STING’s acquisition, then, far from undermining the Astra program, provides breathing space to HAL without compromising Tejas MK1A’s delivery timelines.
- Sumit Ahlawat has over a decade of experience in news media. He has worked with Press Trust of India, Times Now, Zee News, Economic Times, and Microsoft News. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Media and Modern History from the University of Sheffield, UK.
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