Is Israel Sidelining Indian Tech of Jointly Developed Barak-8 Missile System in Global Sales?

Defence affairs - rohit bisht analysis

A landmark defence collaboration between india and Israel is facing uncertainty amid allegations that Israel is independently marketing a jointly developed missile system,potentially excluding key technologies contributed by India.

The system in question, known as Barak-8 or the Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MR-SAM), was created through a partnership

between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), marking a high point

in the strategic ties between the two nations. However, recent international sales of the missile by Israel have raised concerns within

India's defence establishment. Reports suggest that the versions being sold to other countries do not include critical Indian-made components, such as the missile's advanced rocket motor, sparking questions about the fairness and future of such joint ventures.

The Dispute Over Technology and Credit The DRDO-developed dual-pulse motor is a critical innovation that gives the missile a

secondary burst of acceleration in its final phase of flight, dramatically increasing its agility and kill probability against fast, evasive targets.Indian sources allege that by using its own propulsion system in export models, Israel is sidelining India's technological contribution.

This has led to the perception that Indian funding was used to develop and perfect the system, but Indian industry is now being cut out

of the financial benefits of its global sales. Complicating the matter further are unresolved questions about the intellectual property rights

(IPR) and the ownership of the missile's technical data. While India was a significant financial and technical partner, Israel appears to

maintain primary control over the core technology. This apparent imbalance has raised concerns in

New Delhi about the equitable nature of the partnership, potentially creating a trust deficit that could impact future defence collaborations

between the two strategic allies.