Watch Israel test its anti-missile Barak weapon at sea

Israel's Sa’ar 6-class corvette has intercepted a target simulating an advanced cruise missile with the long-range Barak weapon. (Israel Defense Forces)

JERUSALEM — In a first at sea, the Israeli Navy’s Sa’ar 6-class corvette has intercepted a target simulating an advanced cruise missile with the long-range Barak weapon.

The test, recently carried out by the Navy, the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development, and Barak manufacturer Israel Aerospace Industries using the INS Oz vessel, marks a “significant milestone” in development of the Barak interceptor, according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces.

The Barak long-range anti-cruise missile interceptor is part of the Barak MX air defense system. Barak MX features a vertical launch capability and 360-degree coverage. It is similar to India’s Barak 8.

According to the IDF, the air defense system successfully located the target and intercepted it by launching a Barak interceptor from the sea. The system includes an advanced radar to detect threats, and the missile itself can intercept a wide range of threats, including fighters, drones, cruise missiles, surface-to-surface weapons and anti-ship missiles.

Rear Adm. Ariel Shir, who leads the Navy’s equipment division, said the system enables improved detection and interception capabilities for Israel at much greater ranges and against a variety of air threats. The officer said the INS Magen was also involved in the test, but did not provide specifics.

The defense system is key to protecting Israel’s coastal economic zone and is deployed aboard the Sa’ar 6 corvettes that the country recently received and deployed. The four arrived from Germany in September 2021. Israel recently signed a maritime deal with Lebanon designed to reduce tension between the neighbors along the coast.

The Barak system is one part of a multilayered maritime defense, of which the naval version of Iron Dome is another. Israel has completed tests of that Iron Dome variant for deployment with the Sa’ar 6 ships.

Seth J. Frantzman is the Israel correspondent for Defense News. He has covered conflict in the Mideast since 2010 for different publications. He has experience covering the international coalition against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, and he is a co-founder and executive director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis.

以色列萨尔6级轻型护卫舰使用远程巴拉克导弹拦截了一枚模拟先进巡航导弹的目标。（以色列国防军）

耶路撒冷——以色列海军的萨尔6级轻型护卫舰首次在海上使用远程巴拉克武器拦截了一枚模拟先进巡航导弹的目标。

据以色列国防军发表的声明称，此次测试由海军、国防部国防研究与发展局以及巴拉克导弹制造商以色列航空航天工业公司使用 INS Oz 号舰艇进行，标志着巴拉克拦截导弹的研发取得了“重大里程碑”。

巴拉克远程反巡航导弹拦截器是巴拉克MX防空系统的一部分。巴拉克MX具备垂直发射能力和360度全方位防御能力，与印度的巴拉克8系统类似。

据以色列国防军称，防空系统成功定位目标，并从海上发射了一枚巴拉克拦截导弹将其拦截。该系统配备了先进的雷达以探测威胁，而导弹本身能够拦截多种威胁，包括战斗机、无人机、巡航导弹、地对地武器和反舰导弹。

海军装备部门负责人阿里尔·希尔少将表示，该系统能够显著提升以色列在更远距离上针对各种空中威胁的探测和拦截能力。他还透露，以色列海军“马根”号护卫舰也参与了此次测试，但未提供具体细节。

这套防御系统是保护以色列沿海经济区的关键，部署在以色列近期接收并部署的萨尔6型轻型护卫舰上。这四艘护卫舰于2021年9月从德国抵达以色列。以色列近期与黎巴嫩签署了一项海上协议，旨在缓解两国沿海地区的紧张局势。

巴拉克系统是多层海上防御系统的一部分，铁穹舰载版是另一部分。以色列已完成铁穹舰载版在萨尔6型舰艇上的部署测试。

塞思·J·弗兰茨曼是《防务新闻》的以色列记者。自2010年以来，他一直为多家媒体报道中东冲突。他曾报道过打击伊拉克和叙利亚境内伊斯兰国组织的国际联盟行动，并且是中东报道与分析中心的联合创始人兼执行主任。