Indian Air Force successfully carried out a test firing of a new version of an air-launched medium-range ballistic missile

The Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully tested a new variant of an air-launched medium-range ballistic missile capable of reaching targets at distances greater than 250 kilometers. The missile, also known as ROCKS or Crystal Maze 2, was developed in Israel and tested last week from a Su-30 MKI fighter jet in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

According to defense sources, the missile has a strike range of more than 250 kilometers and can target adversary long-range radar and air defence systems.

The IAF now intends to focus on mass production of these missiles under the Make in India initiative, utilizing the technology gained from Israel. The CM-2 is a new generation extended stand-off range air-to-surface missile designed to strike high-value stationary and relocatable targets in GPS-denied settings, such as those India encountered during the Kargil War. 

With the option of a penetrating or explosion fragmentation warhead, the missile may attack above-ground or well-protected subsurface targets, even in heavily surface-to-air defended locations. The ROCKS deployment technique entails launching the missile deep outside the surface-to-air defended region, followed by a high-velocity trajectory to reduce the risk to aircraft and missiles.