Not long after reports linked the Indian Air Force (IAF) with Israeli Ice Breaker long-range precision-guided missiles, fresh reports have claimed that the Indian Navy is also interested in them.
The guardians of the Indian seas want the Rafael-produced Ice Breakers to add more teeth to their MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopters. Last month, the Defence Ministry approved a contract worth approximately Rs 7,995 crore to support 24 MH-60R helicopters with the Navy. These multi-role US maritime helicopters, developed by Lockheed Martin, were bought under a Foreign Military Sales agreement in 2020, and approximately 15 helicopters have been inducted to date.
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The Ice Breaker, an advanced evolution of Rafael’s Sea Breaker, is a long-range, autonomous, precision-guided weapon designed to hit high-value land and sea targets. Rafael claims that they can be equipped on jet fighters, light attack aircraft, and helicopters, as well as small maritime vessels and ground vehicles.
Why Indian Navy wants Ice Breaker?
According to the manufacturers, the Ice Breaker system can counter modern Integrated Air Defence System (IADS) deployments, relying on late detection due to its passive seeker, sea-skimming flight profile, and the VLO (Very Low Observable) nature of the missile. VLO systems are designed to delay detection for so long that the enemy has no time to react before the missile reaches its target. They make the missile nearly invisible to enemy detection systems, particularly radar, infrared, acoustic, and visual sensors.
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The US choppers came with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and MK-54 lightweight torpedoes. However, reports claimed that the Navy decided against spending on the Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile (NSM), the go-to weapon of its US counterparts for anti-ship operations involving the Sea Hawk. Instead, the Ice Breakers are considered to meet this capability as they are at least seven kilograms lighter than the Kongsberg NSMs. Payload weight constraints have also ruled out the use of the DRDO-made Naval Anti-Ship Missile-Medium Range (NASM-MR) on the Sea Hawk as they weigh around 600 kilograms, reports said. In comparison, Ice Breakers are said to be around 400 kilograms—which fits the chopper's capabilities perfectly.
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They can travel up to 300km (low flight) with the potential to harm enemy vessels from safe standoff distances—well beyond the reach of air defence systems. Meanwhile, an MSN report claimed that Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rafael to manufacture Ice Breaker missiles in India, ensuring that these lethal weapons enter the realm of "Atmanirbhar Bharat".
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The MH-60R fleet will modernise the Indian Navy further by enhancing its capability to detect submarines, protect sea lanes, support carrier groups, and respond to maritime threats. It was inducted into the Indian Navy in 2021, with deliveries beginning, and the first squadron, INAS 334, was commissioned at INS Garuda in Kochi. Often called the "Romeo," the MH-60R Sea Hawk is used by the US Navy and partner nations worldwide, serving as a versatile platform for surveillance, search-and-rescue, medical evacuation, and warship-based missions, news agency ANI had reported.