A $350 million Indian-Israeli joint missile program in the works since 2006 is finally progressing. The first test of the Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LR-SAM) in its intended naval configuration slated for this year from India's weapons test range over the Bay of Bengal. The LR-SAM, a financial and technological partnership between Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and India's state-owned Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), is intended to meet the Indian navy's requirements for a point-defense and air-defense system for its frontline warships. Some of its ships, including the aircraft carriers INS Viraat, are armed with IAI's older Barak system. India began pursuing the LR-SAM program, based on IAI's Barak 8 missile, in 2006 to find a more capable weapon and leave behind corruption charges surrounding contracts for the older Barak system.
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