India is the biggest customer of Israel’s defense industry, buying 34% of Israel’s defense exports between 2020 and 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). India’s imports include Israeli-made loitering munitions (suicide drones),and this has been seen in the current escalation with Pakistan. The Pakistani military announced today that India has been using Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Harop loitering munitions.
The Harop is effective up to a range of 200 kilometers, can fly for nine hours and reach a speed of 225 knots at an altitude of up to 15,000 feet. The Harop has a payload of 16 kilograms of explosives, is very accurate and is capable of attacking from a vertical or horizontal angle. Based on the Harop, Iran developed the Shahed 136 imitation, against which Israel has been fighting since the beginning of the war. While the price of the Harop is estimated at about $700,000, the price of the Shahed 136 costs just $30,000.
The Harop gained a reputation worldwide thanks to its lethal effectiveness in the Second Karabakh War in 2020, in which Azerbaijan defeated Armenia. The Armenians were unable to cope with it, and the Harop became one of the symbols of Azerbaijan’s victory. This was reflected, among other things, when at a military base, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev affectionately stroked the Harop in front of television cameras – a move that reflected the feelings of his entire nation.
Now, Pakistan claims that they managed to intercept 12 of the Harop drones that India launched into their territory. “Indian drones continue to be sent into Pakistani airspace, and Pakistan is neutralizing them one after another,” the Pakistani army said. “India is paying dearly, and will continue to pay dearly for its aggression.”
France is particularly concerned about the capabilities of the Pakistani Air Force, because according to a CNN report – a Rafale 4.5 aircraft manufactured by French company Dassault was shot down, for the first time ever. Along with India, France is investigating the incident and its implications.
At the same time, India is collaborating extensively with Elbit Systems, including on the Drishti 10 Starliner drone. Back in December 2018, Elbit launched a collaboration with the defense and space arm of Gautam Adani, the billionaire and owner of Haifa Port. As part of the cooperation, the Hermes 900 and 450 drones are being manufactured. According to foreign publications, the deals could be worth up to $6.85 million and $2 million, respectively. The Drishti 10, which is the first Indian-made medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV, was launched on the basis of the Hermes.
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on May 8, 2025.
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