Ice Breaker: The Israeli Missiles India Wants for Deep Strike Superiority

Defence affairs - D.S.A

Defence sources within Indian media report that both missiles, developed by Israeli defence giants Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, are being considered as part of contingency planning for a potential escalation with Pakistan.

In a significant development aligned with India’s evolving long-range precision strike doctrine, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is currently evaluating two state-of-the-art Israeli-made cruise missile systems—“Wind Demon” and “Ice Breaker”—for potential integration into its frontline combat aircraft.

Defence sources within Indian media report that both missiles, developed by Israeli defence giants Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, are being considered as part of contingency planning for a potential escalation with Pakistan.

This strategic evaluation underscores India’s growing focus on equipping its air force with next-generation stand-off strike capabilities designed to neutralize high-value, well-defended targets deep inside enemy territory without risking aircraft and pilots.

“The Indian Air Force is reportedly studying two additional Israeli-made cruise missiles with the goal of further enhancing its deep-strike capability against targets located inside Pakistani territory,” reads one such report.

The IAF’s renewed interest in Israeli missiles follows its operational satisfaction with the performance of the Rampage missile, which proved highly effective during recent hostilities with Pakistan, targeting enemy command posts and high-value strategic infrastructure with precision.

“The Indian Air Force is interested in acquiring more Israeli-made cruise missiles after being satisfied with the performance of the Rampage missile during recent conflict with Pakistan, in which it struck high-value targets,” the report adds.

The Rampage, jointly developed by IAI and IMI Systems, has already been fielded by the IAF and represents a new generation of air-launched, supersonic, precision-guided munitions capable of hitting hardened targets from safe distances.

With a strike range exceeding 150 kilometers, the Rampage is optimized for pre-emptive attacks on enemy air defense systems, radar installations, command-and-control centers, and weapon storage depots—all without requiring penetration into heavily defended airspace.

Technically, the Rampage uses a combination of Inertial Navigation System (INS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) guidance to achieve a Circular Error Probable (CEP) of under 10 meters, delivering surgical strike capabilities to Indian combat aircraft.

Weighing more than 150 kg, its warhead is designed to penetrate fortified structures such as underground bunkers and hardened aircraft shelters—making it ideal for contested environments such as the Line of Control (LoC) and the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The missile is based on the Israeli EXTRA artillery rocket but re-engineered for air launch with solid propellant propulsion and a high-speed flight trajectory that minimizes detection and interception by modern Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) systems like China’s HQ-9 or Pakistan’s LY-80.