Engineering:Barak MX

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Barak MX
A Sa'ar 6-class ship launches an LR interceptor during test
Service history
In service2023
WarsOperation Am Kalavi
Production history
Manufacturer Israel Israel Aerospace Industries
Specifications
Length4.5 m (14 ft 9 in)
Diameter22 cm (8.7 in) for the missile body
54 cm (21 in) in the booster stage

Barak MX is an Israeli modular multi-mission air and missile defense system suitable for land and naval deployment, designed to defend against aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), anti-ship missiles, cruise missiles, as well as tactical ballistic missiles. The original purpose of the system is to protect vessels and strategic naval installations.[1] The system was developed and manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries.[2] The missile's rocket engine is manufactured at the "Givon" plant (formerly of IMI Systems and since November 2018 of "Tomer (Elbit Systems)").[3]

Unlike the Barak 8 system, which was developed and manufactured in cooperation between IAI, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO),[4][5] and the Barak 1, which was developed together with Rafael, the Barak MX is an exclusive development of IAI based on the experience of the Barak 8 and Barak 1 systems.[3]

The system is installed on the Israeli Navy 's Sa'ar 6-class ships, where it is called "Barak Magen". The land-based configuration of the system was also used by the Israeli Air Force 's air defence system during Operation Am Kalavi.[3]

Characteristics and mode of operation

Barak MX is a modular system that includes a fire control center,[6] a variety of radar types, and four types of interceptors. The system components can be customized according to customer requirements, and installed on land and various sea platforms, including warships such as missile boats, corvettes, frigates or destroyers.[7]

The system includes four models of interceptors:

  • SR – short-range interceptor of 15 km (9.3 mi)
  • MR – 35 km (22 mi) short and medium range interceptor (formerly known as MRAD)[8]
  • LR – 70 km (43 mi) medium and long-range interceptor, sharing the same body with the MR with a dual-pulse rocket motor inside (formerly known as LRAD)[9]
  • ER – A LR missile with a booster, has an extended range of 150 km (93 mi) and a maximum altitude of 30 km (98,000 ft)[10]

Another proposed interceptor was displayed at the 2025 Paris Air Show:

  • EA – Variant with an extended booster, has a range of 250 km (160 mi) and a maximum altitude of more than 35 km (115,000 ft), also featuring an optical seeker[11]

Development and testing

On 22 March 2021, it was reported that a successful series of tests of the Barak ER version, capable of intercepting threats at a range of 150 km, had been completed.[12]

On 30 November 2022, a successful test launch of an LR missile from an Israeli Navy Sa'ar 6-class ship was conducted, intercepting a target missile that resembled a cruise missile.[13][14]

On 1 August 2024, a successful test of an LR interceptor launched from the Sa'ar 6 ship AHI Independence was completed.[15]

Operational activity

On 16 June 2025, during the Twelve-Day War between Israel and Iran, the first successful operational use of the Israeli Navy's system was reported to have intercepted UAVs launched from Iran.[16] A land-based version of the system, known in the IDF as Barak, was operated by the Air Defense Division, and recorded its first interception on 19 June 2025.[17]

Users

  •  Israel: Installed on the Sa'ar 6-class ships of the Israeli Navy, and named in the Navy "Barak Magen". The system was also used by the Air Defense System of the Air Force during the Operation Am Kalavi.[18]
  •  Morocco: Ordered the system in 2022.[19][20][21]
  •  Colombia: Ordered the system in 2023 in a deal worth $131 million,[22] .Colombia received the first battery in November 2025. The remaining batteries are expected during 2026
  •  Azerbaijan: Ordered the system in 2023 in a $1.2 billion deal.[23]
  •  Slovakia: In 2023, the Slovak government approved the purchase of 6 batteries.[24][25][26] On 23 December 2024, the deal was signed with Israel Aerospace Industries to supply the systems for a total of 560 million euros (2 billion shekels).[27][28]
  •  Cyprus: In December 2024, it was reported that it had at least 2 batteries of the system.[29][30][31]

Future users

  •  Netherlands: In September 2024, the Netherlands revealed plans to buy two Multifunctional Support Ships. These ships would be armed with containerized modules, with Barak ER missiles selected as one of the systems.[32]
  •  Thailand: In December 2025, the Royal Thai Air Force signed a $108 million contract with Israel Aerospace Industries to acquire the Barak MX air and missile defense system.[33]
  •  Greece: In August 2026, Greece ordered Barak MX, alongside SPYDER and David's Sling, as part of the Achilles' Shield layered air defense system.[34]

See also

  • Related systems from the "Barak" series:
    • Barak 8 - the equivalent system produced in collaboration with DRDO from India
    • Barak 1 - The air defense system for vessels developed by Israel Aerospace Industries in collaboration with Rafael in service with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
  • Additional Israeli air defense systems:
    • SPYDER - An air defense system manufactured by Rafael in collaboration with Israel Aerospace Industries.
    • David's Sling - a system manufactured by Rafael in collaboration with Israel Israel Aerospace Industries and Raytheon to intercept medium-long-range rockets and missiles.
    • Iron Dome - An Israeli system for intercepting short- and medium-range rockets and missiles. It is in service with the IDF.
    • C-Dome - The naval version of Iron Dome, installed on the Sa'ar 6-class ships.
    • Arrow - the ballistic missile defense system developed by Israel Aerospace Industries and the topmost layer of the State of Israel's multi-layered air defense and missile defense.
  • Other air defense systems in the world:

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Cohen, Gili (20 August 2014). ""Barak" - "Iron Dome" of the drilling rigs". Haaretz. https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2014-08-20/ty-article/.premium/0000017f-e3e9-d804-ad7f-f3fb29990000. 
  2. ↑ "WATCH: IAI carries out successful trial of Barak 8 air and missile defense system". 10 November 2014. https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/WATCH-IAI-carries-out-successful-trial-of-Barak-8-air-and-missile-defense-system-381342. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "IAI en route to extended range Barak-8ER - IHS Jane's 360". 10 August 2015. http://www.janes.com/article/53532/iai-en-route-to-extended-range-barak-8er. 
  4. ↑ "DRDO hands over air defence missile (MRSAM) System to Indian Air Force in presence of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan". 9 September 2021. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1753559. 
  5. ↑ "MR-SAM: Boosting Efficacy of India's Air Defence" (in en-US). https://chanakyaforum.com/mr-sam-boosting-efficacy-of-indias-air-defence/. 
  6. ↑ See Ship gun fire-control system for the naval aspect of the system.
  7. ↑ "India's most-advanced warship to get the missing Missiles". 5 February 2015. http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/india-most-advanced-warship-to-get-the-missiles-that-were-missin-47266.html. 
  8. ↑ "BARAK MR (MRAD) Short-Medium Range Robust Interceptor". https://www.iai.co.il/p/barak-mrad. 
  9. ↑ "BARAK LR (LRAD) Long Range Robust Interceptor". https://www.iai.co.il/p/barak-lrad. 
  10. ↑ "BARAK ER Extended Range Interceptor". https://www.iai.co.il/p/barak-er. 
  11. ↑ "Barak-8 EA was officially revealed and it will have a range exceeding 250km". https://x.com/CaelumPugnator/status/1981647938020364466. 
  12. ↑ Roxas Dumba, Ami (22 March 2021). "Israel Aerospace Industries: Test of "Barak" interceptor with a range of 150 km" (in he). www.israeldefense.co.il. https://www.israeldefense.co.il/node/48992. 
  13. ↑ "Successful interception of a long-range interceptor 'LRAD' against a target simulating an advanced cruise missile" (in he). 30 November 2022. https://www.idf.il/85949/. 
  14. ↑ Frantzman, Seth J. (December 2022). "Watch Israel test its anti-missile Barak weapon at sea". Defense News. https://www.defensenews.com/training-sim/2022/12/01/watch-israel-test-its-anti-missile-barak-weapon-at-sea/. 
  15. ↑ "AHI Independence conducted a successful interception test with a long-range LRAD interceptor". IDF. 2 August 2024. https://www.idf.il/220662/. 
  16. ↑ Ziton, Yoav (16 June 2025). "The Navy intercepted for the first time drones launched from Iran using the Barak Magen anti-aircraft missile system" (in he). Ynet. https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/ryiytetqll. 
  17. ↑ Dvori, Nir (20 June 2025). "For the first time: The "Barak" system was deployed on land and intercepted a UAV". N12. https://www.mako.co.il/news-military/Israel_iran_war/Article-780ef38c92d8791027.htm. 
  18. ↑ "Israeli Navy to begin installing Barak 8 on Sa'ar 4.5 corvettes | IHS Jane's 360". http://www.janes.com/article/57950/israeli-navy-to-begin-installing-barak-8-on-sa-ar-4-5-corvettes. 
  19. ↑ זZaken, Dani (13 February 2022). "Huge deal of more than half a billion dollars for Israel Aerospace Industries in Morocco". Globes. https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001402018. 
  20. ↑ Saballa, Joe (15 February 2022). "Israel, Morocco Sign $500 Million Air Defense Deal". https://thedefensepost.com/2022/02/15/israel-morocco-missile-deal/. 
  21. ↑ Aamari, Oussama (11 August 2023). "Morocco Receives First Shipments of Israel's Barak MX Defense System". https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2023/08/357017/morocco-receives-first-shipments-of-israels-barak-mx-defense-system. 
  22. ↑ Eyal Bogoslavsky, Colombia Purchases Barak MX Missiles from IAI, Israel Defense, 2 January 2023
  23. ↑ Shmuel Elmas, Din (13 November 2023). "The country that purchased air defense from IAI for $1.2 billion was revealed". Globes. https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001462338. 
  24. ↑ Frantzman, Seth J. (24 December 2024). "Israel signs $583 million deal to sell Barak air defense to Slovakia". https://breakingdefense.com/2024/12/israel-signs-583-million-deal-to-sell-barak-air-defense-to-slovakia/. 
  25. ↑ "Izraelský systém BARAK MX uspěl na Slovensku" (in cs). czdefence.cz. https://www.czdefence.cz/clanek/izraelsky-system-barak-mx-uspel-na-slovensku. 
  26. ↑ Arkin, Dan (30 August 2024). "Slovakia purchases six Barak MX air defense systems from Israel Aerospace Industries" (in he). israeldefense.co.il. https://www.israeldefense.co.il/node/62986. 
  27. ↑ Azoulay, Yuval (23 December 2024). "Huge deal for IAI: Will supply Slovakia with air defense systems for 2 billion shekels" (in he). Calcalist. https://www.calcalist.co.il/local_news/article/r1kculphje. 
  28. ↑ Amit, Hagi (23 December 2024). "Israel Aerospace Industries signed a 2 billion shekel deal with Slovakia" (in he). The Marker. https://www.themarker.com/allnews/2024-12-23/ty-article/.premium/00000193-f450-d8b5-ad9f-fff164370000. 
  29. ↑ Sharaf, Avi (5 December 2024). "Cyprus purchased an advanced Barak-MX air defense system from Israel Aerospace Industries" (in he). Haaretz. https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/security/2024-12-05/ty-article/.premium/00000193-965e-d6ba-afdb-9ffef21a0000. 
  30. ↑ Kambas, Michele (5 December 2024). "Cyprus takes delivery of Israeli air defence system, report says". Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/cyprus-takes-delivery-israeli-air-defence-system-report-says-2024-12-05/. 
  31. ↑ "Σε υπηρεσία το BARAK MX στην Κύπρο". 4 December 2024. https://doureios.com/se-ypiresia-to-barak-mx-stin-kypro/. 
  32. ↑ Newdick, Thomas (25 Sep 2024). "New Dutch Navy Support Vessels Will Be Missile-Toting Wingmen To Frigates". twz.com. https://www.twz.com/news-features/new-dutch-navy-support-vessels-will-be-missile-toting-wingmen-to-frigates. 
  33. ↑ Gordon, Arthur (4 December 2025). "Thailand selects Barak MX air defence system from Israel". Asian Military Review. https://www.asianmilitaryreview.com/2025/12/thailand-selects-barak-mx-air-defence-system-from-israel-foc/#:~:text=By,published%20on%2029%20February%202024.. 
  34. ↑ Frantzman, Seth J. (31 Aug 2026). "Greece inks $3.4B deal for multi-layered Israeli air defense system". breakingdefense.com. https://breakingdefense.com/2026/08/greece-inks-3-4b-deal-for-multi-layered-israeli-air-defense-system/. 



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