Profile
- Type
- Short-range road-mobile ballistic missile system
- Conflict side
- Azerbaijan
- Origin
- Israel
- Service note
- Operational by the late 2000s; Azerbaijani service documented by 2018
Artillery
LORA ballistic missile
LORA is an Israeli precision short-range ballistic missile from Israel Aerospace Industries, carried in sealed canisters on mobile or maritime launchers. In the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Azerbaijani forces used it sparingly for a high-value bridge strike meant to disrupt Armenian reinforcement routes.
- Conflict side
- Azerbaijan
- Built by
- Israel Aerospace Industries
- Built in
- Israel
Service History
- In service
- Operational status reported by CSIS; Azerbaijani Missile Troops displayed LORA in 2018
- Used by
- Azerbaijani Armed Forces, Israel Defense Forces
- Wars
- Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
Production History
- Designer
- Israel Aerospace Industries MLM division
- Designed
- Early 2000s development; publicly displayed in the mid-2000s
- Built by
- Israel Aerospace Industries
- Built in
- Israel
- Variants
- Ground-launched LORA, Naval LORA, Air LORA
Specifications
- Range
- IAI lists 90 to 430 km; CSIS lists 280 km for the missile profile
- Launch weight
- 1,600 kg
- Dimensions
- 5.2 m length; 624 mm diameter
- Warhead
- Single high-explosive or submunition payload; IAI describes penetration capability against fortified targets
- Guidance
- GPS/INS guidance, with CSIS also describing TV terminal guidance in reported specifications
- Launcher
- Four sealed missiles on a standard 16-ton flat-bed truck, with maritime launch option
Conflict Usage
- Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
- Side: AzerbaijanRole: Precision ballistic strike against a bridge link
Azerbaijan used the Israeli-made LORA during the 2020 war, with CSIS and RUSI describing a strike on a bridge connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh that was intended to disrupt Armenian reinforcement and supply routes.
LORA ballistic missile Images
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IAI LORA Product PagePublisher: Israel Aerospace Industries | Note: Supports manufacturer background, launcher configuration, guidance, dimensions, range, and performance claims. | Accessed: 2026-06-20LORA Ballistic Missile Firing TrialPublisher: Israel Aerospace Industries | Note: Supports manufacturer background and reported 90 km and 400 km firing trial context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20LORA Missile ProfilePublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies Missile Threat | Note: Supports system background, specifications, operator context, and Azerbaijani service history. | Accessed: 2026-06-20The Air and Missile War in Nagorno-KarabakhPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict direct-use claim that LORA was used by Azerbaijan on October 2, 2020, to target a bridge connecting Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Democratisation of Precision Strike in Nagorno-KarabakhPublisher: Royal United Services Institute | Note: Supports Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict direct-use claim that an Israeli-made LORA ballistic missile was used by Azerbaijan to target a bridge on the Akari river. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Azerbaijan Uses Israeli LORA MissilePublisher: The Jerusalem Post | Note: Supports Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict direct-use claim that Israeli LORA was used by Azerbaijani forces in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict zone. | Accessed: 2026-06-20LORA at Baku Military ParadePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for LORA at a 2018 military parade in Baku; Commons lists the file as CC BY 4.0 from President.az. | Accessed: 2026-06-20LORA Missile Launcher ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the LORA launcher; Commons lists GFDL and CC BY-SA 3.0 licensing. | Accessed: 2026-06-20LORA Missile at Paris Air ShowPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the LORA missile in its launch tube at the 2007 Paris Air Show; Commons lists public-domain release by the author. | Accessed: 2026-06-20