Wind Demon and Ice Breaker: The Israeli Missiles India Wants for Deep Strike Superiority

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — In a significant development aligned with India’s evolving long-range precision strike doctrine, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is currently evaluating two state-of-the-art Israeli-made cruise missile systems—“Wind Demon” and “Ice Breaker”—for potential integration into its frontline combat aircraft.

Defence sources within Indian media report that both missiles, developed by Israeli defence giants Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, are being considered as part of contingency planning for a potential escalation with Pakistan.

This strategic evaluation underscores India’s growing focus on equipping its air force with next-generation stand-off strike capabilities designed to neutralize high-value, well-defended targets deep inside enemy territory without risking aircraft and pilots.

“The Indian Air Force is reportedly studying two additional Israeli-made cruise missiles with the goal of further enhancing its deep-strike capability against targets located inside Pakistani territory,” reads one such report.

The IAF’s renewed interest in Israeli missiles follows its operational satisfaction with the performance of the Rampage missile, which proved highly effective during recent hostilities with Pakistan, targeting enemy command posts and high-value strategic infrastructure with precision.

“The Indian Air Force is interested in acquiring more Israeli-made cruise missiles after being satisfied with the performance of the Rampage missile during recent conflict with Pakistan, in which it struck high-value targets,” the report adds.

The Rampage, jointly developed by IAI and IMI Systems, has already been fielded by the IAF and represents a new generation of air-launched, supersonic, precision-guided munitions capable of hitting hardened targets from safe distances.

With a strike range exceeding 150 kilometers, the Rampage is optimized for pre-emptive attacks on enemy air defense systems, radar installations, command-and-control centers, and weapon storage depots—all without requiring penetration into heavily defended airspace.

Technically, the Rampage uses a combination of Inertial Navigation System (INS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) guidance to achieve a Circular Error Probable (CEP) of under 10 meters, delivering surgical strike capabilities to Indian combat aircraft.

Weighing more than 150 kg, its warhead is designed to penetrate fortified structures such as underground bunkers and hardened aircraft shelters—making it ideal for contested environments such as the Line of Control (LoC) and the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The missile is based on the Israeli EXTRA artillery rocket but re-engineered for air launch with solid propellant propulsion and a high-speed flight trajectory that minimizes detection and interception by modern Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) systems like China’s HQ-9 or Pakistan’s LY-80.

This platform complements India’s broader airpower modernization initiatives that seek to pair multi-role platforms like the Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000, and Rafale with a diverse mix of stand-off precision strike systems tailored for hybrid and conventional conflict scenarios.

The post-Balakot strategic environment, where pre-emptive precision strikes have become doctrinally acceptable, has further elevated the IAF’s requirement for scalable, survivable, and cost-effective long-range munitions.

Rampage’s supersonic speed reduces target engagement time, compresses enemy reaction windows, and complicates interception efforts, especially against fixed strategic assets protected by integrated air defence systems (IADS).

Compared to subsonic cruise missiles such as SCALP or Spice-2000, Rampage offers a lower-cost, high-performance alternative suitable for saturation strikes, suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD), and battlefield shaping operations in the opening phase of any future conflict.

The missile’s compact form factor and low unit cost enable its use in large numbers, enhancing India’s ability to conduct precision mass strikes without financially overburdening its air armament programs.

Wind Demon

The Wind Demon, revealed for the first time at the 2024 Farnborough Air Show, represents IAI’s latest entry into the tactical cruise missile domain, combining smart guidance, stealth, and affordability into a compact yet lethal air-to-surface weapon.

Built for deep-strike and SEAD missions, Wind Demon is engineered for low-altitude cruise, terrain-following flight, and real-time human-in-the-loop control, providing advanced targeting options in highly contested A2/AD environments.

With an operational range surpassing 200 kilometers and a weight of approximately 140 kilograms, Wind Demon is optimized for integration with light and medium combat aircraft, offering a potent mix of survivability and precision.

Its guidance system incorporates a fusion of Electro-Optical (EO), Imaging Infrared (IIR), semi-active laser homing, and Automatic Target Recognition (ATR), giving it the ability to autonomously identify and home in on strategic fixed targets.

Operators may optionally engage via a secure man-in-the-loop control link, allowing real-time mission updates, target verification, and mid-course re-tasking—critical in scenarios involving time-sensitive or mobile targets.

The missile’s 1-meter CEP enables pinpoint accuracy against high-value enemy positions while its adaptable warhead—exceeding 20 kg—can be configured for blast, fragmentation, or deep-penetration effects depending on mission requirements.

Wind Demon’s ability to execute fast–slow–fast speed profiles makes it suitable for terrain-hugging approaches and evasive maneuvers against radar-guided defenses, effectively reducing vulnerability to SAMs and airborne interceptors.

One of its most compelling features is its cost-effective design, intended for mass deployment in air campaigns requiring saturation strikes or sequential targeting of dispersed enemy assets across multiple threat domains.

As a new-generation cruise missile, Wind Demon offers export-friendly modularity and flexibility, making it a strong candidate for regional operators seeking a reliable yet affordable precision strike solution that can be deployed across multiple aircraft types.

Ice Breaker

The Ice Breaker, an advanced evolution of Rafael’s Sea Breaker, is designed to deliver precision strike capability across air, land, and sea domains, making it one of the most versatile and survivable standoff weapons in its class.

With a range of over 300 kilometers, the Ice Breaker is engineered to strike both stationary and moving targets including radar systems, mobile missile batteries, naval vessels, and strategic infrastructure with devastating precision.

Weighing in with a 105 kg multi-effect warhead, the missile can be deployed from fighter jets, ground-based launchers, and surface combatants, including corvettes and frigates, offering unprecedented cross-platform flexibility.

Its GPS/INS-based navigation system, enhanced by electro-optical seekers and AI-assisted ATR (Automatic Target Recognition), enables autonomous or human-supervised engagement even in complex or GPS-denied electronic warfare environments.

The Ice Breaker supports full man-in-the-loop engagement, empowering operators with the ability to re-verify, re-target, or abort mid-flight—a critical capability in hybrid warfare where collateral avoidance and strategic precision are paramount.

What sets Ice Breaker apart is its multi-sensor fusion, AI-enhanced targeting, and resilience in contested environments, especially relevant for Asia-Pacific nations concerned with China’s expanding A2/AD bubble and naval assertiveness in the South China Sea.

It is compatible with aircraft such as the F-16, F-15, Rafale, and Gripen, and can also be launched from mobile coastal defense batteries, making it ideal for smaller nations seeking to enhance deterrence without building a blue-water navy.

Rafael markets Ice Breaker as a cost-effective, export-friendly alternative to Western cruise missiles like SCALP-EG, LRASM, and NSM, with the advantage of superior modularity, political availability, and open-architecture integration.

Its high survivability, tactical versatility, and smart-seeker autonomy make Ice Breaker a highly attractive option for countries prioritizing air-sea-land integration, rapid response, and network-centric warfare readiness.

🌏 Strategic Outlook: Indian Missile Acquisition Plans Reflect New Regional Realities

India’s pursuit of Wind Demon and Ice Breaker aligns with its strategic imperative to project power, defend borders, and establish deterrence in a region increasingly defined by high-tech standoff warfare and missile proliferation.

With China aggressively expanding its long-range strike ecosystem and Pakistan investing in low-cost smart munitions, India’s decision to diversify and upgrade its missile inventory reflects an effort to counter both conventional and grey-zone threats.

Whether as a response to potential two-front warfare scenarios or to enhance conventional deterrence posture, the Indian Air Force’s exploration of advanced Israeli cruise missiles signals a shift towards deep, intelligent strike capabilities at scale.

Both Wind Demon and Ice Breaker, if acquired, would add teeth to India’s strategic airpower arsenal—offering the flexibility, firepower, and precision required to prevail in 21st-century battlespaces.

— DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA