Colombia has signed a $131.2 million contract with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the Barak MX air defence system, the Colombian Government announced last week.

The system is expected to support the defence of military bases and personnel, as well as critical infrastructure. Military sources told DefenseNews that the country has purchased missiles as well as two Barak MX systems.

Military sources said Colombia ordered the system with MRAD and LRAD missiles, with the option to procure Barak ER missiles later. The first two can target threats at altitudes up to 20 kilometres, while the second can reach 30 kilometres.

Barak MX provides multi-layered defence against aircraft and missiles. The advanced fire control system offers the ability to defend against more than one target at the same time.

According to DefenseNews, independent analyst Emilio Meneses stated that this purchase has dramatically increased Colombia’s air defence capacity and said: “So far only Chile and Venezuela have such systems, NASAMS from Kongsberg and Raytheon and S-300VM from Almaz-Antey, respectively. The Barak MX is a newer system that will raise the standards in the South American region.”