Sea shield activated: How Israel's navy used India-developed missile tech to stop Iran's drones
Sa'ar 6-class corvettes
using the
Barak Magen air defence system
, marking its first operational deployment. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement:
'The Navy's missile boat flotilla intercepted eight drones launched from Iran. This was the first operational use of the 'Barak Magen' air defence system and the long-range interceptor 'LRAD'.'
The attack took place amid continuing hostilities between Israel and Iran, now in their fourth day. Tehran claims the strikes are retaliatory, responding to Israeli operations against Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure.
So far, 25 drones have been intercepted by Israeli naval platforms since the escalation began, according to the IDF. Most were downed by the C-Dome system — the naval version of Iron Dome — but Sunday night's interception marked the first combat test of Barak Magen.
How Barak Magen works
The Barak Magen system is the naval variant of the Barak MX family developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). Integrated on Israel's newest warships, it protects against a range of airborne threats:
Live Events
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
Cruise missiles
Ballistic missiles
Enemy aircraft
The system's success on Sunday demonstrates its readiness and reach. It uses a mix of interceptors depending on the threat type and range. The version deployed, Barak LRAD, is designed for engagements up to 70 km, equipped with a dual-pulse motor for high-speed response and precision guidance. The motors are manufactured by Israel's state-owned defence company Tomer.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Defence, the LRAD system underwent its final live-fire trials in August 2024, having previously completed a 2022 test from the INS Magen, one of the Sa'ar 6 ships. A video released after that trial showed the missile striking a sea-skimming target in real-time.
Israel-Iran Conflict: Strategic shift to Naval defence
The Barak Magen system fills a growing need for layered protection at sea — especially as Israel's offshore gas platforms and shipping lanes become increasingly vulnerable. The Sa'ar 6 ships were custom-built for such missions, equipped with EL/M-2248 MF-STAR radar and electro-optical sensors for 360-degree threat tracking. Each ship can operate independently with its own air defence and strike systems.
These warships, commissioned between 2020 and 2023 from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in Germany, cost around €450 million in total. The fourth and final ship joined the fleet in December 2023, completing Shayetet 3, the Israeli Navy's elite missile boat squadron.
In response to rising threats from Iran, Hezbollah, and the Houthis in Yemen, the Navy stationed this fleet in the Red Sea and eastern Mediterranean to secure Israel's maritime frontlines.
Israel-Iran Conflict: Global interest and India's role
IAI's Barak system has drawn global buyers, with $1.2 billion in sales already secured. One major partner is India, which co-developed the Barak-8 variant with the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO). This version is used by both countries' navies and air forces to counter a mix of aerial threats, from drones to ballistic missiles.
Barak-8 has a shorter maximum range — around 100 km — and has been integrated into several Indian Navy warships. India's Ministry of Defence described it as a 'versatile, sea and land-based shield against airborne threats.'
Israel-Iran War: Escalating casualties and civilian impact
As tensions rise, civilian casualties have increased on both sides. Israeli emergency services reported four deaths from missile strikes in central Israel on Monday, with residential buildings sustaining damage.
Meanwhile, Iran said 224 people had been killed since Friday's attacks began, with dozens injured. Israel's toll stood at 24 dead and over 500 wounded, as of Monday evening.
Iran's shift to drone swarms and precision attacks reflects a strategy to stretch Israeli defences. Barak Magen's combat debut signals that Israel is adapting — using high-end naval platforms to plug a critical gap in its layered air defence network.
This may be only the beginning. As Israel expands its naval footprint to protect offshore gas fields and shipping corridors, systems like Barak Magen are expected to play a growing role — not just in defence, but as tools of deterrence.
The Israeli Navy's interception of eight Iranian drones at sea didn't just stop a strike — it marked a turning point in how Israel plans to fight wars on the maritime front.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Microsoft employee protests lead to arrests as company reviews its work with Israels military
REDMOND, Wash. — Worker-led protests erupted at Microsoft headquarters this week as the tech company promises an 'urgent' review of the Israeli military's use of its technology during the ongoing war in Gaza. A second day of protests at the Microsoft campus on Wednesday called for the tech giant to immediately cut its business ties with Israel. The police department began making arrests after Microsoft said the protesters were trespassing. 'We said, 'Please leave or you will be arrested,' and they chose not to leave so they were detained,' said police spokesperson Jill Green. Microsoft late last week said it was tapping a law firm to investigate allegations reported by British newspaper The Guardian that the Israeli Defense Forces used Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform to store phone call data obtained through the mass surveillance of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. 'Microsoft's standard terms of service prohibit this type of usage," the company said in a statement posted Friday, adding that the report raises 'precise allegations that merit a full and urgent review.' The company said it will share the findings after law firm Covington & Burling completes its review. The promised review was insufficient for the employee-led No Azure for Apartheid group, which for months has protested Microsoft's supplying the Israeli military with technology used for its war against Hamas in Gaza. In February, The Associated Press revealed previously unreported details about the American tech giant's close partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Defense, with military use of commercial AI products skyrocketing by nearly 200 times after the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. The reported that the Israeli military uses Azure to transcribe, translate and process intelligence gathered through mass surveillance, which can then be cross-checked with Israel's in-house AI-enabled targeting systems. Following The 's report, Microsoft acknowledged the military applications but said a review it commissioned found no evidence that its Azure platform and artificial intelligence technologies were used to target or harm people in Gaza. Microsoft did not share a copy of that review or say who conducted it. Microsoft in May fired an employee who interrupted a speech by CEO Satya Nadella to protest the contracts, and in April, fired two others who interrupted the company's 50th anniversary celebration. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Blatant disregard': Hamas as Israel announces first steps of its Gaza takeover plan
As the Israeli military announced the first steps for its operation to take over Gaza on Wednesday, Hamas said that Israel's plan showed its "blatant disregard" for efforts of the mediators to broker a ceasefire and hostage release deal. The Israeli military said troops were already operating on the outskirts of Gaza City, adding that Hamas was now a "battered and bruised" guerrilla force.(Reuters) Israel said that it will call up 60,000 reservists ahead of the expanded military operation in Gaza City, a move which is part of the plan approved by defence minister Israel Katz. The takeover plan, which is likely to receive the army chief of staff's final approval in the coming days, also comprises the extended services of 20,000 additional reservists who are already on active duty, The Associated Press reported. Hamas condemned Israel's move and said in statement, Today's announcement by the terrorist occupation army of the start of an operation against Gaza City and its nearly one million residents and displaced persons... demonstrates... a blatant disregard for the efforts made by the mediators." Brigadier General Effie Defrin, Israel's military spokesperson, told reporters that the first steps for the takeover operation have begun. He said, "We have begun the preliminary operations and the first stages of the attack on Gaza City, and already now IDF forces are holding the outskirts of Gaza City." Earlier, a military official said that reserve soldiers would not report for duty until September, leaving time for mediators to bridge the gaps between Hamas and Israel over the ceasefire terms. Following the Israeli troops' clash with Hamas fighters in Gaza on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that he sped up the timeline for taking control of Hamas strongholds in the City and defeating the Palestinian militant group. Defrin further said troops were already operating on the outskirts of Gaza City, adding that Hamas was now a "battered and bruised" guerrilla force. "We will deepen the attack on Hamas in Gaza City, a stronghold of governmental and military terror for the terrorist organisation," the army spokesman said. Hamas earlier took to Telegram and accused Netanyahu of disrupting the ceasefire deal for continuing a "brutal war against innocent civilians in Gaza City." "Netanyahu's disregard for the mediators' proposal ... proves that he is the real obstructionist of any agreement," it added. Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, triggered the conflict, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Meanwhile, according to Gaza health officials, more than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's operations in Gaza since October 2023. Hamas accepts ceasefire proposal Hamas on Monday reportedly accepted a ceasefire proposal that would result in a 60-day pause. During this period, at least 10 living Israeli hostages will be released, along with a number of mortal remains. However, Israel is yet to officially respond to the deal. Mediators are expected to announce the formal agreement and set the date for the resumption of peace talks, AFP reported, citing Palestinian officials. Israel approves plan to cut West Bank into two Meanwhile, Israel on Wednesday gave final approval for a settlement project in the occupied West Bank that would effectively cut the territory in two, destroying the hopes for a future Palestinian state. Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich cast the approval as a rebuke to countries, including France, Australia and Canada, announced their plans to recognise a Palestinian state. 'The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not with slogans but with actions,' he said on Wednesday. He added, 'Every settlement, every neighborhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea.'
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Microsoft reviewing Israeli army's use of its tech amid worker protests
Worker-led protests erupted at Microsoft headquarters this week as the tech company promises an 'urgent' review of the Israeli military's use of its technology during the ongoing war in Gaza. A "Stop Starving Gaza" sign during a protest at the Microsoft Campus in Redmond, Washington as employees rallied at the company to increase pressure on the software maker to stop doing business with Israel.(Bloomberg) A second day of protests at the Microsoft campus on Wednesday called for the tech giant to immediately cut its business ties with Israel. A spokesperson for the Redmond Police Department confirmed that several protesters have been arrested. Microsoft late last week said it was tapping a law firm to investigate allegations reported by British newspaper The Guardian that the Israeli Defense Forces used Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform to store phone call data obtained through the mass surveillance of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. 'Microsoft's standard terms of service prohibit this type of usage," the company said in a statement posted Friday, adding that the report raises 'precise allegations that merit a full and urgent review.' The company said it will share the findings after law firm Covington & Burling completes its review. The promised review was insufficient for the employee-led No Azure for Apartheid group, which for months has protested Microsoft's supplying the Israeli military with technology used for its war against Hamas in Gaza. In February, The Associated Press revealed previously unreported details about the American tech giant's close partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Defense, with military use of commercial AI products skyrocketing by nearly 200 times after the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. The AP reported that the Israeli military uses Azure to transcribe, translate and process intelligence gathered through mass surveillance, which can then be cross-checked with Israel's in-house AI-enabled targeting systems. Following The AP's report, Microsoft acknowledged the military applications but said a review it commissioned found no evidence that its Azure platform and artificial intelligence technologies were used to target or harm people in Gaza. Microsoft did not share a copy of that review or say who conducted it. Microsoft in May fired an employee who interrupted a speech by CEO Satya Nadella to protest the contracts, and in April, fired two others who interrupted the company's 50th anniversary celebration.
