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The German Navy test-fired the Israeli-made LORA ballistic missile in the North Atlantic overnight on 2 September 2026, from the frigate Sachsen-Anhalt.
It was the first time Germany has launched a ballistic missile at sea; both launches followed their set trajectory and hit their targets.
LORA - Long Range Artillery - is a single-stage, solid-propellant, road-mobile and sea-launchable short-range ballistic missile developed by Israel Aerospace Industries and in Israeli service since about 2007.
The German Navy said it would now advance plans to procure the system.
A ballistic missile is boosted on a high arcing trajectory and then falls largely under gravity, arriving fast and steeply. A cruise missile flies low and powered throughout, like an aircraft. LORA's terminal manoeuvring blurs the line, making interception harder.
Simple Analogy: A thrown stone against a guided model aeroplane.
Israel's principal state-owned aerospace and defence manufacturer; developer of the LORA missile and of systems India operates, including the Barak-8 air defence missile co-developed with DRDO and Heron unmanned aerial vehicles
IAI is a long-standing Indian supplier - the Barak-8 / MR-SAM was co-developed with DRDO, and the Heron and Searcher UAVs are in Indian service. The same firm's LORA now entering a NATO navy is a useful comparison point.
The MTCR restricts transfer of systems carrying a 500 kg payload beyond 300 km. LORA's 600 kg payload and its stated ranges make it a natural example for questions on Category I thresholds. India joined the MTCR in 2016; Israel is not a member but says it adheres to the guidelines.
Compare LORA with the Prithvi and Pralay - Pralay is India's quasi-ballistic, solid-fuelled, 150-500 km battlefield missile with a similar deep-strike role.
GS Paper 3 > Security > Defence technology; GS Paper 2 > Effect of policies of developed countries on India's interests
General Awareness > Missiles, defence technology and international defence trade
Long Range Artillery - a solid-propellant short-range ballistic missile developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, ground- and sea-launchable.
Guidance applied in the final phase of flight, here using TV imaging on top of inertial and satellite navigation.
A mainly ballistic flight path with in-flight manoeuvring, which complicates interception.