Colombia has placed an order for two units of truck-transportable Barak MX air defense systems produced by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The MX and Barak 8 missiles were offered by IAI to the Colombian Armed Forces already in 2017. The Air Force chose the system as its preferred solution in 2018, and the Army made the same determination in May 2022. A contract worth $131.2 million was signed between Colombian Air Force and the Israeli company last week. The delivery of the missiles is expected to take place by the end of September 2026. Based on Air and Missile Defense Division acclaimed and field proven Barak family, Barak MX Land On The Move system is an advanced Air and Missile Defense System that provides a single integrated solution for multiple simultaneous aerial threats from different sources and different ranges.
Barak (lightning) is an Israeli surface-to-air missile (SAM) designed to be used as a ship-borne point-defense missile system against aircraft, anti-ship missiles, and UAVs. The Barak SAM system is designed to replace or complement gun-based CIWS platforms, such as the Phalanx CIWS, with a more flexible and longer-range SAM. The missiles are mounted in an eight cell container (which requires little maintenance) and are launched straight up. With a battle-management center built around an Elta Systems-made ELM-2084 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, along with data fed from sensors, the Barak MX provides multilayered defense against aircraft and missiles. Its advanced fire control system can simultaneously detect, track and engage several targets.
Barak 8 also known as LR-SAM or MR-SAM, is an Indo-Israeli jointly developed surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, designed to defend against any type of airborne threat including aircraft, helicopters, anti-ship missiles, and UAVs as well as ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and combat jets.[13] Both maritime and land-based variants of the system exist. Barak 8 was jointly developed by India’s Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The Barak 8 missile defence system is produced by Israel’s Directorate of Research and Development (DDR&D), Elta Systems, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and India’s Bharat Dynamics limited (BDL).
Connect and utilize any combination of the three Barak MX components:
The Barak Battle Management Center (BMC), which creates and manages a unified multi-senor aerial picture, coordinates the force operation networks and manages the mobile launch arrays. Preforms all missions on the move.
The Barak Interceptors, all with vertical launch capabilities supporting 360° coverage, quick reactions, short minimal ranges and an active high-end RF seeker for targets with low radar cross sections and high maneuverability:
BARAK MRAD, with a single pulse rocket motor for a range of 35 km
BARAK LRAD, with a dual pulse rocket motor for a range of 70 km
IAI’s mobile “Detect on the Move” ELM 2138 Radar.
