ROCKS is a Rafael air-launched standoff missile that blends Popeye- and SPICE-derived guidance technology with a high-speed air-to-surface strike profile. Rafael markets it for defended, GPS-denied target sets, while Indian reporting identifies Crystal Maze 2 as ROCKS and says Indian aircraft used Crystal Maze-2 during Operation Sindoor in the 2025 India-Pakistan Conflict.
Indian reporting said IAF jets used Israeli-origin Crystal Maze-2 missiles during Operation Sindoor precision strikes; separate Indian test reporting identifies Crystal Maze 2 as ROCKS, so the public record should be read through that naming link rather than as a direct official ROCKS disclosure.
Open reporting uses three adjacent names with different confidence levels: Rafael markets ROCKS as the current missile, Indian test reporting identifies Crystal Maze 2 as ROCKS, and some Operation Sindoor accounts shorten the name to Crystal Maze or Crystal Maze-2.
India Today says Crystal Maze 2 was also referred to as ROCKS during the 2024 IAF test.
Times of India names Crystal Maze-2 in Operation Sindoor reporting; other accounts use Crystal Maze without the 2 suffix.
This page treats ROCKS as the Crystal Maze 2 record and keeps the earlier Crystal Maze / Raptor system linked as a related predecessor.
Open sources use ROCKS and Crystal Maze 2 for the later extended-range Indian-market missile while distinguishing it from the earlier Crystal Maze / Raptor entry.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Crystal Maze 2 / ROCKS | Extended-range air-launched missile designation used in Indian reporting | India Today identified the April 2024 missile as Crystal Maze 2, also referred to as ROCKS, and ThePrint/ANI separately distinguished it from the earlier Crystal Maze 1. Sources: India Today Crystal Maze 2 test, ThePrint ANI Crystal Maze 2 test |
 | Earlier Indian-market Popeye-family standoff missile | Indian reporting distinguishes Crystal Maze 2 from the previously inducted Crystal Maze 1, while the catalog keeps the earlier Crystal Maze record as a separate page. Sources: ThePrint ANI Crystal Maze 2 test |
Public sources document both Indian Su-30MKI testing and Israeli F-16I certification rather than a complete platform list.
| Launcher | Launcher type | Launch evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Israeli certified launch aircraft | CSIS Missile Threat reported in 2019 that ROCKS was certified on an Israeli Air Force F-16I Sufa. Sources: CSIS ROCKS unveiling |
 | Indian test launch aircraft | India Today reported that a Su-30MKI fighter conducted the April 2024 Crystal Maze 2 / ROCKS test in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Sources: India Today Crystal Maze 2 test |
CSIS Missile Threat reported that Rafael unveiled ROCKS at Aero India in Bangalore and described the system as a new standoff air-to-surface missile.
Sources: CSIS ROCKS unveiling
India Today reported that the Indian Air Force test-fired the Israeli-origin Crystal Maze 2, also called ROCKS, from a Su-30MKI in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Sources: India Today Crystal Maze 2 test
Times of India reporting later said IAF jets used Israeli-origin Crystal Maze-2 missiles, among other air-launched weapons, during the May 7-10 Operation Sindoor hostilities.
Sources: TOI emergency purchase powers
Times of India reported Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari's statement that fewer than 50 air-launched weapons compelled Pakistan to negotiate, while the report identified Crystal Maze-2 among the weapons used for calibrated strikes.
Sources: TOI less than 50 weapons
