What is Barak 8? The missile that saved Delhi from Pakistani strike during Operation Sindoor | A year after Pahalgam attack
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "What is Barak 8? The missile that saved Delhi from Pakistani strike during Operation Sindoor | A year after Pahalgam attack")
Delegates look at a model display of Barak 8 air and missile defence system exhibited during the 8th International Maritime Defence Exhibition & Conference (IMDEX) Asia 2011 at the Changi Exhibition Centre in Singapore on May 18, 2011. Photograph: (AFP)
In May 2025, the IAF intercepted a Pakistani Fatah-II missile targeting New Delhi using the Barak-8 system. Led by Air Commodore Rohit Kapil, the operation successfully prevented a catastrophic strike.
A year after the deadly Pahalgam terrorist attack that claimed 26 lives in India, details have emerged of how the country averted a major missile strike on the national capital during the subsequent military escalation with Pakistan. The April 22, 2025, attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, triggered a strong Indian response in the form of Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). At the peak of the conflict in May last year, Pakistan is believed to have launched a ballistic missile, identified as either a Fatah-II or a Shaheen, with New Delhi as its intended target. On May 10, 2025, the Indian military announced that it had successfully foiled an attempt to strike the capital using a Fatah-II missile.
Subsequent reports indicate that the missile was intercepted by an Indian Air Force unit stationed at Sirsa in Haryana, a key forward air base near the western border. The interception was carried out using the Barak-8 surface-to-air missile system, preventing what could have been a catastrophic strike on the densely populated capital.
What is Barak 8 missile?
The Barak-8, a medium-range surface-to-air missile system jointly developed by India and Israel, played a decisive role in neutralising the threat. With an operational range of around 70 kilometres, extendable to 100 kilometres, the system is designed to counter a wide range of aerial threats, including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, fighter aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Equipped with advanced digital radar, modern RF sensors, and a two-way data link, the Barak-8 offers all-weather, 360-degree protection. It can engage multiple targets simultaneously through its multi-function surveillance, tracking and guidance capabilities. The missile travels at speeds of up to Mach 2 and carries a 60-kg warhead designed to detonate in proximity to its target.
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Visual evidence of the interception surfaced days after the incident, with debris believed to be from the Pakistani missile recovered in Sirsa and videos circulating widely online.
According to a report by The Times of India (TOI), the operation was led by Air Commodore Rohit Kapil, the Air Officer Commanding of the IAF’s 45 Wing at Sirsa. His prompt decision-making and operational leadership were credited with ensuring the successful interception and preventing large-scale casualties.
