Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that India deployed Israeli-made defense systems, including the Barak-8 missile and HARPY drones, during Operation Sindoor, India’s military retaliation against Pakistan following the May terror attack in Pahalgam.
“The things we provided before worked very well on the field… we develop our weapons in the field and they are battle-tested,” Netanyahu said on August 7, during a press briefing where he also unveiled plans to intensify operations in Gaza. “They worked fine, and we have a pretty solid foundation,” he added, according to an NDTV report.
The report said India used Barak-8 missiles, jointly developed by Israel and India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), along with HARPY drones to intercept waves of Pakistani missile attacks between May 7 and 11.
On the same day, Netanyahu met India’s Ambassador to Israel, JP Singh, to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation, particularly in defense and economic sectors. Describing the India-Israel relationship as “important” and “based on shared values and interests,” Netanyahu said the talks focused on deepening collaboration. He also interacted with a visiting group of senior Indian media professionals.
The HARPY drone is designed to suppress enemy air defenses by targeting radar systems based on their electromagnetic emissions. With an endurance of up to nine hours, it is capable of autonomous deep-strike missions and can approach targets from multiple angles. The Barak-8, a long-range surface-to-air missile system, offers 360-degree coverage and can simultaneously engage multiple airborne threats. It uses active radar guidance and can be deployed on both land and naval platforms, with an operational range of up to 100 km.
Israel’s Consul General in Mumbai, Kobbi Shoshani, supported India’s actions, calling them “an action of self-defense”.
Israel is India’s fourth-largest supplier of military hardware, delivering approximately USD 2.9 billion worth of arms over the past decade, including radars, drones, and missile systems. Only Russia (USD 21.8 billion), France (USD 5.2 billion), and the US (USD 4.5 billion) rank higher. Despite the ongoing conflict in Gaza, defense trade between India and Israel has remained steady.