Fresh off what it hails as a significant operational breakthrough, India is moving to deepen its already formidable stand-off strike capabilities by exploring the acquisition of Israel’s cutting-edge Air LORA air-launched ballistic missile system.
This comes on the heels of what Indian defence planners describe as the “decisive success” of deploying the Israeli-developed Rampage air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) to devastating effect against multiple Pakistani air bases during Operation Sindoor, a major cross-border operation carried out earlier this year.
Sources close to the Indian Air Force (IAF) told Indian defence portal confirming that the performance of the Rampage ALCM — with its advertised range of 250 km — exceeded expectations when integrated onto frontline Su-30MKI, MiG-29 and Jaguar squadrons.
One senior Indian defence official told revealed that the IAF now believes its Su-30MKI air superiority fighters could carry up to four Air LORA missiles each, a loadout that would grant India a unique stand-off strike edge well inside contested airspace.
The LORA (Long Range Artillery Weapon System), originally designed as a ground- or ship-launched short-to-medium-range ballistic missile by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), has already found an operational niche with the Israeli Air Force.
With the Air LORA variant, Israel has effectively transformed the battlefield reach of LORA into a flexible air-launched strike option that can be fired from fighter bombers and multirole aircraft, giving operators the freedom to target hardened enemy infrastructure from distances beyond most current SAM intercept envelopes.
Indian defence media report that during Operation Sindoor, the IAF’s Rampage-armed strike packages successfully crippled Pakistan Air Force installations, including the critical Sukkur Air Base and several other forward-deployed PAF facilities near the contested borders.
According to India’s official account, at least 11 Pakistani air bases came under Rampage missile bombardment during the operation — a statement that, while not independently verified, underscores India’s commitment to push its stand-off strike doctrine deeper.
Now, having validated the Rampage’s utility in real-world combat conditions, the IAF is moving to expand its arsenal of precision Israeli-made stand-off missiles by acquiring the Air LORA, which offers greater reach and a unique ballistic profile compared to cruise missiles.
Unlike the Rampage with its 250 km range, the Air LORA promises strike distances of up to 400 km, effectively putting high-value enemy command centres, hardened bunkers and deep logistics hubs well within range while allowing Indian fighter crews to stay far beyond the lethal engagement zones of Pakistan’s HQ-9 and LY-80 air defence systems.
For context, the HQ-9 is a Chinese-made long-range SAM system with engagement ranges exceeding 200 km, while the LY-80 provides layered medium-range cover — a formidable challenge for any conventional strike aircraft forced to penetrate defended airspace.
The Air LORA’s high-arc ballistic flight path and steep terminal dive make it an especially troublesome target for radar networks optimised for tracking low-flying cruise missiles or conventional strike aircraft.
At Aero India 2025, IAI showcased the Air LORA concept to Indian military and industry stakeholders, highlighting how the missile’s unique stand-off capability could slot seamlessly into the IAF’s growing portfolio of long-range precision strike assets.
Defence experts point out that Air LORA would serve as a potent complement to India’s other stand-off systems like the supersonic BrahMos-A, the SCALP cruise missile carried by Rafales, and the indigenous Pralay ballistic missile, each filling a distinct niche in India’s strike doctrine.
While BrahMos-A streaks towards its target at low altitude at Mach 2.8, the Air LORA uses a high ballistic arc and hits at speeds around Mach 5–Mach 6, presenting multiple tracking and interception dilemmas for enemy air defence operators.
The operational value of this mixed arsenal is huge for India’s “two-front” challenge — facing China’s People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) with its expanding medium-range ballistic missile arsenal on one side, and Pakistan’s rapidly evolving tactical missile systems like Nasr and Ghaznavi on the other.
Geo-strategically, this layered approach signals that New Delhi intends to maintain credible “deep strike” options across the entire western and northern theatre, projecting power across the Himalayas or deep into Pakistan’s military infrastructure without violating its No First Use nuclear doctrine.
The Air LORA’s precision strike profile is equally significant: a hybrid INS/GPS guidance system allows it to achieve a Circular Error Probable (CEP) of less than 10 meters, meaning hardened command bunkers, missile silos, and radar sites could be taken out with minimal collateral damage.
Unlike traditional cruise missiles, Air LORA’s dual-stage solid propellant ensures rapid acceleration and sustained flight, while a mid-course correction mechanism allows the missile to adapt to moving or relocated targets — a vital capability for modern battlefields where real-time ISR data is king.
Indian aerospace analysts believe that pairing Air LORA with the IAF’s airborne ISR fleet, including Heron TP drones, AWACS, and future military satellite feeds, would give India a near real-time kill chain from detection to strike — a game-changing edge in any large-scale conflict.
Equally important is the platform flexibility: the Su-30MKI with its large payload and combat radius, the Rafale with its mature stand-off weapons suite, and potential future bomber acquisitions all provide natural homes for Air LORA’s aerial integration.
As one senior IAF source puts it, “We’ve always wanted the ability to strike command nodes, fuel dumps and runways deep behind the front line without risking our pilots. The Air LORA’s range, speed and precision makes that feasible.”
In real terms, a stand-off strike package built around the Air LORA could allow Indian pilots to launch from well within Indian airspace or neutral air corridors, delivering decisive blows while remaining out of reach of enemy interceptors and layered SAM grids.
This adds a crucial layer of survivability, especially given the density of radar, point defence and early-warning systems fielded by both Pakistan and China along their volatile borders.
For the region, India’s move towards an air-launched ballistic strike capability marks a clear response to China’s multi-domain push in the Himalayas, where the PLA has deployed new DF-16 and DF-26 road-mobile ballistic systems capable of threatening forward Indian air bases.
Pakistan’s own tactical strike systems, like the Nasr short-range ballistic missile with its claimed nuclear capability, have driven India to expand its conventional strike toolkit to maintain escalation dominance without crossing the nuclear threshold.
Financially, the addition of the Air LORA represents a serious investment for the IAF — with each unit likely to cost in the region of USD 3–5 million (approx. RM 14–23 million) depending on configuration, integration and ISR support systems.
Yet in an era of precision warfare, survivability and credible deterrence, defence analysts agree that the cost is more than justified when weighed against the potential loss of high-value fighters and trained crews.
Israel Aerospace Industries, meanwhile, stands to deepen its lucrative partnership with India, having already supplied the IAF with the Rampage, the SPYDER SAM, the EL/M-2052 AESA radar, and the Heron UAV family — all integrated into India’s multi-layered air defence and offensive strike matrix.
In the final analysis, if India moves ahead with fielding the Air LORA, it would send an unmistakable signal across South Asia that New Delhi is committed to retaining its technological edge and ensuring that any threat to its airspace or sovereignty would be met with a devastating, precise and rapid response.
Should the Air LORA join the IAF’s operational inventory alongside the BrahMos-A, SCALP and future indigenous systems, it will further entrench India’s position as one of the region’s premier stand-off strike powers.
As tensions simmer along the LOC and the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India’s expanding family of precision long-range missiles could prove decisive in shaping the next conflict’s opening salvo — and whether an adversary dares test its resolve in the skies again.