IAF to receive Balakot airstrike-fame Spice-2000 bombs from Israel by mid-September: Report

The Indian Air Force (IAF) will receive advanced versions of the guided air-to-ground bomb Spice-2000, used in the Balakot airstrike in February 26, from Israel by September, according to ANI. Top IAF sources told ANI that the Spice-2000 bombs are scheduled to be delivered to the IAF from Israel along with the Mark 84 warhead and bombs which can destroy buildings completely.

The supply of these weapons from Israel will happen around the time when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to visit India for a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The IAF had signed a contract with Israel in June for acquiring more than 100 Spice 2000 bombs under the emergency procurement powers of the services given by the Narendra Modi government.

The contract was signed as the Air Force wanted to acquire the bombs after their successful usage in the Balakot airstrikes against a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist camp in Pakistan.

During the Balakot strikes, the Air Force had dropped Spice-2000 bombs from Mirage-2000 fighter aircraft after a pack of 12 of these fighters crossed the Line of Control to strike the Jaish facility in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

However, the Spice-2000 bombs used in the Balakot strikes were the penetrator version which made holes using their weight in the concrete rooftops of the buildings in the Jaish camp which don't destroy buildings but explode inside killing people with the mix of 70-80 kg explosives with shrapnel.

SPICE, manufactured by the Israeli defence technology company Rafael, is short for 'Smart, Precise-Impact and Cost-Effective'. The SPICE guidance kit consists of two pieces -- one is attached to the bomb's head and the other is attached at the end.