LORA (missile)

LORA (LOng Range Artillery) is a theater quasi-ballistic missile developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

LORA
LORA missile in launcher
Type	Theater quasiballistic missile; air-launched ballistic missile[1]
Service history
Used by	Azerbaijani Land Forces Indian Armed Forces
Wars	2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Production history
Manufacturer	Israel Aerospace Industries
Specifications
Mass	1.6 tons (1,600 kg)
Length	5.2 meters
Diameter	624 mm
Warhead	570 kg high explosive, bomblets or high speed penetrator warhead[2]
Operational range	90 - 430 km[3]
Maximum speed	upto Mach 5[4]
Guidance system	inertial navigation, GPS and TV terminal
Accuracy	10m CEP

Development

LORA began development in 2002.^[5] The missile has a range of 400 kilometres (250 mi) and a CEP of 10 metres (33 ft) when using a combination of GPS and TV for terminal guidance. It can be ship-launched from inside of a standard Intermodal container.^[6][7] An air-launched variant called Air LORA was unveiled in June 2024.^[8]

On 11 June 2018, Azerbaijan revealed it had purchased the LORA system from Israel at an undisclosed date following president Ilham Aliyev's visit to an Azerbaijani Land Forces missile unit housing both the LORA and the Polonez.^[9][10] LORA was used in the final days of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, being used to target a vital bridge in the Lachin corridor linking Armenia to the Nagorno-Karabakh region.^[11] It was initially thought to have destroyed the bridge, but later evidence suggested it had only inflicted limited damage.^[12]

AIR LORA air-launched ballistic missile

During Aero India in June 2023, India's Bharat Electronics signed a memorandum of understanding with IAI to produce the LORA in India under license.^[13][14]

Operators

Current operators

• Israel
•  Azerbaijan

Future operators

• India