Indian Air Force signs deal with Israel to buy over 100 SPICE bombs

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has signed a deal worth around Rs 300 crore with Israel to buy more than 100 SPICE bombs, reportedly used by the IAF to target Jaish-e-Mohammed camps across the LoC in Balakot, Pakistan on February 26.

"A contract for procuring over 100 SPICE bombs with Mark 84 warheads was signed with Israel under emergency provisions as per which the deliveries would be done in three months time," top government sources were quoted as saying by ANI.

Indian Air Force signs deal worth around Rs 300 crore for buying more than 100 SPICE bombs from Israel. SPICE bombs were used by the Air Force to attack madrasah of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Balakot of Pakistan on February 26. pic.twitter.com/YTDHnek9cq

— ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2019

The bombs are an advanced version of the Spice-2000 bombs, which can be used to reduce enemy buildings and bunkers to rubble in no time, the report said.

Accordign to reports, the advanced SPICE bombs would be delivered to the Air Force in the next three months as the deal is under emergency powers. 

Currently, the IAF's Mirage-2000 are equipped with the SPICE-2000 bombs and these aircraft were used in the pre-dawn strike on the biggest terror camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit in Pakistan recently.

According to sources, the IAF is in the process of equipping its Su-30MKI with Israeli SPICE-2000 laser-guided bombs, as part of its effort to make the fighter jets more potent.

A fleet of Mirage 2000 deep-penetration fighter jets was chosen for the non-military, preemptive strike on February 26 on the camp of the JeM in Pakistan due to the combat aircraft's capabilities of hitting long-range targets with "pin-point" accuracy and dropping a range of bombs and missiles including laser-guided ones, government sources had earlier said.