NEW DELHI – Indian Air Force deploys new version of Israeli Bombs alongborders with Pakistan
The new version of the guided air-to-ground Spice-2000 bombs have reachedat the Gwalior airbase, Madhya Pradesh. “The Israeli firm has started thedelivery of the Spice-2000 bombs to India and the first batch of thesebombs was received recently,” top IAF sources were quoted as saying by newsagency ANI.
It should be noted that Gwalior is the main base of the Mirage 2000 fighterjets.
The Indian Air Force had signed a Rs 300 crore deal with an Israeli defencefirm for acquiring more than 100 Spice 2000 bombs. The deal was sealedafter IAF successfully used them in the Balakot airstrikes in Pakistan’sBalakot on February 26.
Following the Pulwama attack, IAF fighter jets bombed in Balakot Pakistan.
During the Balakot strikes, the Air Force had dropped Spice-2000 bombs fromMirage-2000 fighter aircraft after a pack of 12 of these fighters crossedthe Line of Control to strike in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
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However, the Spice-2000 bombs used in the Balakot strikes were thepenetrator version which made holes using their weight in the concreterooftops of the buildings in the Jaish camp which don’t destroy buildingsbut explode inside killing people with the mix of 70-80 kg explosives withshrapnel.
Spice, manufactured by the Israeli defence technology company Rafael, isshort for ‘Smart, Precise-Impact and Cost-Effective’. The Spice guidancekit consists of two pieces – one is attached to the bomb’s head and theother is attached at the end.
According to reports, the order for the bombs was placed under the specialfinancial powers given to the armed forces by the government for emergencypurchases and the deal was signed with Israel’s Rafael Advanced DefenseSystems.
The government had granted emergency powers to the three services toprocure weapons and military hardware to enhance their operationalpreparedness along the border with Pakistan.
