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The Indian Air Force (IAF) has initiated a strategic move to significantly increase its requirements for Air-Launched Ballistic Missiles (ALBMs).
This decision highlights a major shift in India’s conventional deterrence strategy, placing a renewed focus on long-range, high-speed precision strike capabilities.
According to defence officials familiar with the force planning, this revised requirement is a direct response to the evolving security dynamics in the region, specifically the rapid proliferation of advanced enemy air-defence networks and the necessity for time-sensitive strikes against hardened targets.
These advanced weapons fill a distinct operational gap between conventional cruise missiles and surface-to-surface ballistic missiles.
Capable of being deployed from fighter jets such as the Su-30MKI, ALBMs merge the flexibility of air combat operations with the devastating speed and kinetic energy of ballistic weaponry.
Their unique flight trajectory—characterised by a quasi-ballistic path and a steep terminal dive at high velocities—drastically reduces the reaction time available to adversaries, complicating interception efforts by layered air-defence systems.
For the IAF, the ability to deploy ALBMs is critical for neutralising high-value assets deep within hostile territory. Targets such as command-and-control hubs, hardened shelters, radar stations, and communication nodes can be engaged effectively.
By firing these missiles from safe standoff distances, Indian pilots can deliver decisive blows while remaining outside the lethal range of enemy Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) batteries.
This push to expand the missile inventory follows the recent induction of specific systems, including the Israeli-origin Rampage (High Speed Low Drag-Mk2) and the Crystal Maze 2 (ROCKS) missiles.
The operational validation of these standoff weapons in recent exercises and conflicts has reinforced the value of survivability, precision, and speed during the opening stages of a high-intensity air campaign.
As potential adversaries continue to fortify their borders with integrated air-defence systems and early warning radars, the IAF’s strike doctrine is evolving.
The focus is shifting towards weaponry capable of penetrating dense defensive grids through sheer velocity and unpredictable flight manoeuvring—capabilities that ALBMs inherently possess.
Furthermore, the decision to increase stock levels represents a doctrinal transition from holding a "symbolic capability" to achieving "operational mass."
Modern warfare has demonstrated that precision munitions are expended at rapid rates, particularly during initial missions aimed at suppressing enemy air defences and denying airfield operations.
A larger arsenal ensures the IAF can sustain a high operational tempo over a prolonged conflict.
This expansion is also intrinsically linked to the IAF’s future force structure.
As the service inducts next-generation fighter aircraft and strengthens its support fleet of aerial refuellers and Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) platforms, its capacity to project power deep into contested airspace will increase. ALBMs will act as a primary enabler for this extended reach.
Concurrently, Indian defence planners are actively pursuing options for the domestic production of these missiles.
Negotiations are reportedly underway to manufacture systems like the Rampage and Crystal Maze 2 locally under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
Indigenous manufacturing would not only ensure a steady supply chain during crises but also insulate the defence apparatus from foreign disruptions during wartime.
The requirement for a larger inventory of ALBMs underscores a broader transformation within the Indian Air Force.
The service is moving beyond a defensive air superiority mindset towards a proactive, long-range precision warfare doctrine, designed to impose severe costs on any adversary from the very onset of hostilities.
