Indian Air Force, Navy Induct Long-Range Supersonic 'Rampage' Missiles

indian air force, navy induct long-range supersonic ‘rampage’ missiles

New Delhi: The India Air Force has inducted the Rampage long-range supersonic air-to-ground missiles which can hit targets at around 250 km. The induction of the missile is set to be a major boost for the firepower of the country’s current fighter aircraft fleet.

The missile, which is known as the High-Speed Low Drag-Mark 2 missile in the Indian Air Force, was reportedly used by the Israeli Air Force in its recent attacks on Iranian targets.

The Indian Air Force has inducted the Rampage in its fleet of Russian-origin aircrafts, which includes the Su-30 MKI and MiG-29 fighters along with Jaguar fighter jets, defence sources told ANI. The Indian Navy has also included the missile in its fleet for the MiG-29K naval fighter jets, they added.

The stand-off weapon will give Indian fighter pilots the option of engaging and taking out targets like communication centres or radar stations, the sources said.

The procurement was part of the emergency powers given by the Defence Ministry to the armed forces to equip themselves with critical weapons post the stand-off with China, which started in 2020.

The missiles have a longer range than the Spice-2000s used in the Balakot air strikes in 2019.

The Indian Air Force has gone in for multiple weapon systems including the long-range systems from both abroad and Indian vendors.

The Indian Air Force recently tested the ROCKS or the Crystal Maze-2 missiles in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands territory. The air-launched ballistic missiles hit their targets successfully in the trials done around a fortnight ago.

The induction of the rampage and the integration with the Russian Su-30 has given a big boost to the Russian aircraft fleet, which can now fire multiple long range air-to-ground missiles including the over 400 km strike range BrahMos supersonic missiles.

The Indian Air Force is also considering if the Rampage can be produced under the Make in India programme and be inducted in large numbers.

(With inputs from ANI)