India To Upgrade MiG-29 Fighter Jets With Israeli Rampage Missiles, Taking Its Ground Attack Capabilities Up A Notch

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is considering upgrading its MiG-29 UPG fighter jets with new avionics and control systems, including new stand-off ground attack weapons like the Israeli Rampage missile.

According to The Tribune, initially, 24 MiG-29 UPGs will be upgraded to carry Israeli Rampage missiles, called High-Speed Low Drag (HSLD) Mk-II in IAF service. These missiles have a range of more than 180 kilometres.

This will require the installation of additional hardware and software on the jets.

This includes designing and integrating new bomb racks, installing additional cables and rigs under the wing's outer pylons, and developing the associated software.

The Rampage is essentially an EXTRA rocket developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), originally designed to be fired from ground-based multi-launch rocket systems (MLRS) and modified for launch from fighter jets with a strike range of 180 kilometres.

It uses an INS/GPS kit to locate its targets.

Since this missile is derived from ground-launched rockets, it is easier to manufacture and cheaper to procure compared to cruise and ballistic missiles.

Moreover, these missiles, with their large stand-off range of 180 kilometres, provide protection to the launching fighter jet from enemy anti-aircraft fire. They have the ability to penetrate dense air defence networks and destroy heavily defended, deeply buried, and heavily fortified targets and bunkers.

Due to their high manoeuvrability, very high terminal velocity of Mach 1 or more (1 Mach equals the speed of sound), and quasi-ballistic trajectory, these missiles are extremely difficult to intercept.

The Indian Navy already uses Rampage missiles on its MiG-29K aircraft carrier-capable jets. The IAF also uses these missiles on its Sukhoi Su-30 MKI and Jaguar fighter bombers.

Another similar Israeli missile, ROCKS, designed and developed by the Israeli company Rafael, is also being used by the IAF's Su-30 MKI jets.

ROCKS, also known as Crystal Maze 2 in IAF service, is an air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) with a range of more than 250 kilometres.

Just like Rampage, ROCKS is a ground-launched ballistic missile modified for launch by fighter jets. The IAF plans to induct this missile in large quantities and begin large-scale manufacturing of the ALBM in India.

This missile was successfully used by Israel to penetrate the Iranian air defense shield and destroy the S-300 30N6E target engagement radar. Ironically, the Russian-made S-300 air defence system was itself designed to defend against missiles like Rampage and ROCKS.

Apart from this, IAF is also mulling to undertake a mid life extension programme on its entire MiG-29 fleet to enhance their service life from 40 years to 50 years. This will allow these jets to be operational even after 2025.