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Growing Demand for Israel's Barak-8 Anti-Missile and Air-Defense System
(Defense News) Barbara Opall-Rome - The June 30 test by the Indian Air Force of a medium-range, land-based version of Israel's Barak-8 anti-missile and air-defense system "validated all components of the weapon system to the satisfaction of the customer," according to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). In three flight tests, the missile successfully destroyed targets simulating enemy threats. Boaz Levy, IAI executive vice president, noted that Barak-8 provides the "ultimate answer" to the Russian Yakhont anti-ship sea-skimming cruise missile, assumed to be in the hands of Hizbullah. It also "allows robust defense against aircraft, helicopters and missiles of all types." Yossi Weiss, IAI president and CEO, said the firm's backlog for Barak-8 exceeds $3 billion and will grow once additional prospective partner nations are aware of its unique capabilities.