A photo of the Israeli surface-to-air “Rampage” missile India recently purchased was circulated on social media. The Indian Navy’s carrier-based MiG-29K/KUB aircraft are in the background. Eventually, the Indian Navy will presumably add this weapon to the Mig-29’s arsenal. This photograph was taken on August 30, 2023, at the Hansa airbase in Goa, India, when a delegation from the United Arab Emirates Navy visited the Indian Navy’s Naval Flying Test Squadron.
It was reported in December 2022 that India and Israel had reached an agreement for India to purchase Rampage missiles. At the time, it was reported that the missile would be outfitted on the Su-30MKI fighter planes used by the Indian Air Force. The first photographs of the Indian Rampage missile, on the other hand, were taken at the Indian Naval Aviation facility.
The Israeli companies Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries developed the Rampage missile. The Rampage is primarily manufactured by IAI. It looks like an airborne version of the famous ground-launched 306mm precision ballistic missile known as EXTRA. It is said that the length of the Rampage missile is 4.7 metres, it has a launch weight of 570 kilograms, and its payload weighs 150 kilograms. It can receive corrections through data connection thanks to its guiding system, which is based on an inertial navigation system (INS). The launch range of this system can reach up to 250 kilometres (or possibly even beyond), depending on the altitude and speed of the carrier aircraft.
The Rampage missile has purportedly been in use by the Israeli Air Force since 2018 and has allegedly been used in strikes on Syria since 2019. India is credited with being the first country outside of Israel to purchase a Rampage missile. In August 2023, it was reported that Greece had also signed a contract to procure these missiles. The Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom is also said to be interested in these missiles. The Royal Air Force considers Rampage a more cost-effective alternative to Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles.
