IAF to get 'building blaster' Spice-2000 bombs by mid-September

New Delhi: In a major boost for India's aerial firepower, the Indian Air Force is set to receive the 'building blaster' version of the Balakot air strike-fame Spice-2000 bombs by mid-September.

Top IAF sources told ANI that the Spice-2000 bombs are scheduled to be delivered to the Indian Air Force (IAF) from Israel around mid-September 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 Indian Air Force had signed a contract with Israel in June this year 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.

Under the emergency powers, the three services could buy any equipment of their choice worth up to Rs 300 crore to prepare for any hostilities.

The Spice-2000 bombs have been acquired from Israel which is one of the main weapon and ammunition supplier of the Air Force.

The Balakot airstrikes were conducted by the Air Force in response to the Pulwama terrorist attack on a CRPF convoy in which 40 personnel lost their lives.