Iron Dome could soon be built in India
Rafael's reported plans would expand production of Tamir interceptors while advancing India's ambitions to become a defense manufacturing hub.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems is in talks to establish a production line for Iron Dome interceptors in India, a move that would significantly expand the manufacturing footprint of one of Israel's best-known air defense systems while underscoring the growing strategic partnership between Jerusalem and New Delhi.
According to reports in India, the Israeli state-owned defense company is discussing cooperation with Indian defense manufacturers to co-produce Tamir interceptors, the missiles used by the Iron Dome system. The initiative would support India's "Make in India" strategy, which aims to increase domestic defense manufacturing and reduce reliance on imported military equipment.
The proposal also reflects a broader shift in relations between the two countries, which are increasingly moving beyond a traditional buyer-seller relationship toward joint production and technology development. Ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel earlier this year, the Israeli government approved a $40 million program to expand bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors, including academic exchange, renewable energy, telemedicine and infrastructure. The two countries also agreed to deepen defense cooperation through an updated strategic framework covering co-production of military systems, joint development of next-generation technologies and emergency procurement mechanisms during periods of conflict or heightened security threats.
Manufacturing Tamir interceptors in India would also serve broader commercial and operational objectives for Rafael. According to sources cited in the report, the facility would support exports to additional countries, reduce production costs and provide additional production capacity if needed.
Defense cooperation between India and Israel has expanded rapidly in recent years. According to a Forbes India report earlier this year, Israel agreed to $8.6 billion in arms deals with India in 2026, making it the country's second-largest defense supplier after France. Those agreements include Rafael's SPICE 1000 precision-guided bombs, Rampage air-to-surface missiles, Air LORA air-launched ballistic missiles and the IceBreaker missile system. Local production of Tamir interceptors would mark another step in that evolution, shifting the relationship further toward shared industrial production.
Rafael currently manufactures Iron Dome interceptors at a facility in northern Israel. Last year, the company also began producing missiles in the United States through a partnership with Raytheon. The American facility supplies interceptors for the U.S. Marine Corps' air defense system and can reinforce production in Israel if necessary.
Rafael would not be the first Israeli defense company to establish manufacturing in India. Elbit Systems already produces its Hermes 900 and Hermes 450 unmanned aerial vehicles there, highlighting India's growing role as a manufacturing base for Israeli defense companies.
