What is LR‑LACM Cruise Missile of India and why is Turkey in tension due to this missile?
New Delhi: Turkey, who helped Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, has recently raised its disagreement over reports that India is allegedly offering its Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LR-LACM) to its regional rival country Greece. The speculation started following a report that was published by a Turkish news outlet TRHaber, citing Greek sources. According to the report, the sale of the LR-LACM was unofficially proposed by New Delhi during the DEFEA 2025 defense expo, which was held in Athens. However, there is no official confirmation announced by India or Greece over the deal.
What Is Turkey Concerned About?
Turkish media has framed the alleged move as a security threat, linking it to Turkey’s support for Pakistan during the recent India–Pakistan conflict, Operation Sindoor. Reports allege that Turkish drones and military advisors aided Islamabad. Ankara is reportedly alarmed that Greece could use Indian missiles to target Turkish military infrastructure in the Aegean. TRHaber also claimed that the missile’s has the capability to evade air defence systems such as Turkey’s S-400.
Following the report, the Turkish media has framed the alleged development as a security threat to the Middle East country. The media even went further and linked the move to Turkey’s support for Pakistan during the recent India-Pak conflict. Media reports claimed that Turkey aided Islamabad with drones and other military equipment. Ankara is in tension that Greece could use the Made In India long-range cruise missile to target its military bases located in Aegean. Turkish news outlet TRHaber also claimed that
What Is the LR-LACM?
Developed by DRDO, the LR-LACM is a subsonic cruise missile. Successfully tested on 12 November 2024 in Odisha’s Chandipur, the cruise missile was designed for deep precision strikes. It is similar to American-made Tomahawk and Russia’s Kalibr missiles.
What are LR-LACM’s key specifications?
LR-LACM’s land-based variant has a range of between 1,000 to 1,500 km and if launched from a naval platform, it has a range of 1,000 km. Powered by Made in India Manik Small Turbofan Engine (STFE) the missile is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads. It is loaded with a high-tech guidance system combining powerful GPS, inertial navigation, and TERCOM.
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