Israeli Spike Missile - Key Point: From its first use, the Spike missile lived up to its name. Here's why it outperforms many other anti-tank systems.
On October 6, 1973, more than eight hundred tanks from three mechanized infantry divisions poured into the Golan Heights, bordering Israel. The sheer mass of the weapon inflicted heavy casualties on the defending Israeli forces; The defending barracks brigade saw every company commander killed in action during the attack. When the Israeli army finally won, the experience prompted some in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to think about ways to stop the formation of tanks. Finally, with the help of the Rafale Advanced Defense System, they developed the Tamuz missile. The missile is now known outside of Israel as the Spike non-line-of-sight (SPIKE-NLOS), and is considered the first member of the Spike family of missiles. Since then, the Spike family has become one of the world's leading antitank guided weapons with great export success: it now serves the world's most powerful armies, including the UK, Germany, South Korea and India. But how does the spike work? And why is the Spike family so successful?
Israeli Spike Missile
The original Spike missile, the Spike-NLOS, was a pioneering weapon in its field. Although television-guided missiles already exist for aircraft, Spike-NLOS is the first surface-to-surface missile to use TV guidance. This is because of its original purpose: to stop a mass-armor thrust from almost artillery distance with a precision attack. To achieve this, Spike-NLOS has a small fiber-optic cable that connects the launch vehicle to the missile, as well as a camera on the missile itself. Through this datalink, the Spike-NLOS operator can see a view of the battlefield. The operator continued to guide the missile to the target. The view provided to the operator while the missile is in flight allows each missile to act as a reconnaissance. The Spike-NLOS launcher can remain fifteen to thirty kilometers away from the target while still delivering an accurate attack (depending on the missile's product). TV guidance allows the missile to be retargeted in flight, as the operator only needs to approach a different target. It does not require a "lock" to launch, the operator only needs to know the rough coordinates of the target, allowing Spike-NLOS to function as precision artillery. In reflection of this task, Spike-NLOS equipped vehicles were assigned to an elite unit of the IDF's Artillery Corps. Later versions of Spike-NLOS added true homing capability, making the missile self-guiding, allowing the operator to remain "man in the loop" and accurately and steer the missile in mid-flight. It also offers missile lock-on off launch (LOAL) capability. In Israeli literature, it is called "fire and observation". Improved cameras (see infrared channel) and laser homing are also included in the latest Israeli version of Spike-NLOS. They also have the ability to link into Israel's command-and-control network, so that data from other sources, such as counterbattery radars and drones, can help guide Spike-NLOS to its targets.
Anti Tank Guided Missile
Operationally, Spike-NLOS was a huge success. It saw significant use as a tool to neutralize artillery positions in the recent Intifada and the Second Lebanon War. The precision nature of the missile has proven useful in areas with large numbers of civilians. Because of this, the Spike-NLOS has seen significant export success, with the UK purchasing it under the Exactor name and successfully deploying it in Afghanistan and Iraq in a similar role. Spike-NLOS' success in the counterbattery role led to its purchase by South Korea as a means of neutralizing North Korean artillery positions after the 2010 Yeonpyeong Offensive.
Spike's success is not limited to NLOS missiles. In the 1990s, attempts were made to adapt Spike missile technology as a small arms weapon, as the IDF needed a new ATGM to replace the aging American M47 Dragon ATGM. According to this
, the first test firing of this system took place in 1992. The first to be flown was the Gill missile, known as Spike-MR in the international market. It is a fire-and-forget missile that lacks a light launch platform and spike-NLOS command guidance in exchange for the missile. This version also achieved significant export success, winning Finnish ATGM trials and an order in 2000. This version was soon adopted by Singapore and the Netherlands. The Spike-MR can be considered a competitor to the US Javelin system, as both have similar components and technology. Both have a command-launch unit (CLU) with integrated thermal sight on the launch platform, and both missiles use electro-optical sensors to home in on their targets. Spike-MR recently beat out Bhala in the competition for the biggest contract in India.
Rafale continues to develop the Spike family of missiles. The Spike-LR version reintroduces some of the Spike-NLOS functionality to the smaller Spike missiles, with the same fiber-optic data-link technology that allows the operator to see what the missile sees. This version entered IDF service at the same time as the Spike-MR, and achieved significant export success, winning several contracts in Europe, including Germany and Poland. It was popularized as a vehicle-mounted ATGM, replacing the Milan in German as the primary ATGW for the German infantry fighting vehicle. It also has options to integrate with the helicopter. Recently, the IDF placed an order for the upgraded Spike-LR2. The new missile has more lethal warheads, and the new CLU has the ability to receive data from other sources.
Rafael Releases New Video Footage From Spike Sr Weapon System Demo
Continuing development, Rafael released the Spike-SR in 2012: a smaller version available for squad-level use. Unlike SPIKE-MR, where a soldier uses a CLU to acquire a target, which feeds data to a SPIKE missile, a soldier uses a missile seeker to acquire a target in a SPIKE-SR. Spike-SR achieved export success in 2016 as well. The final member of the Spike family is the Spike-ER, which has similar range and other features to the Spike-LR. Israel uses it on their Apache helicopters, as well as on fin mounts for coastal defense.
But what makes Spike so successful in exports? Admirable performance of the missile in tests and advanced fire and observe features are undoubtedly part of it. But the biggest feature is that Rafale may be willing to license spike production to countries that adopt it. When Poland adopted the Spike-LR, the Polish Spike rocket engines, warheads and launch tubes were manufactured by the Polish company ZM Mesko. A similar license appeared in India's adoption of Spike-MR.
In general, the Spike missile series is a proof of the ability of the Israeli defense complex to develop new solutions for various threats. This is one of ATGW's most successful export and licensing stories, with thousands of licensed spikes produced worldwide.
Charlie Gao studied politics and computer science at Grinnell College and is a frequent commentator on defense and national security issues. It first appeared in 2019 and has been reposted due to reader interest. Israel's Rafale Advanced Defense Systems unveiled its sixth-generation Spike precision missile at the Eurosatory Defense Expo 2022 in Paris.
Polish Mi 24 Will Be Improved By Israeli Systems
A new fire-and-forget missile system has increased capabilities, including the ability to fire four missiles simultaneously from a single launcher.
Additionally, the state-of-the-art missile uses advanced image-matching and processing techniques to acquire images in mid-flight and lock onto enemy targets.
"The advanced version of the sixth-generation missile has been developed to meet new and more complex requirements arising from the operational scenario and due to continuous technological innovation and unique Rafale engineering capabilities," said Rafale official Ran Gojali. was quoted as saying.
One of the new features of the sixth-generation Spike missile is the ability to transfer control of the system to other combat platforms in mid-flight to achieve better success.
South Korea's Israeli Made Spike Missiles (rear) Are Seen During Events To Mark The 65th Anniversary Of Armed Forces Day, At A Military Airport In Seongnam, South Of Seoul, October 1, 2013. The
If a military helicopter launches a missile and flies over a war zone, a nearby ground vehicle can control the spike and navigate it toward the target.
The sixth-generation missile can now hit targets up to 50 km (31 mi) from helicopters and up to 32 km (19.8 mi) when launched from land and naval platforms.
"Spike NLOS (non-line-of-sight) serves as the foundation of the entire Spike missile family which has achieved incredible success and has been widely deployed over the years," Gojali said. "NLOS is evolving and now we see the most advanced and capable model, the 6th generation."
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Rafael Concludes First Exports Of Shoulder Fired Anti Tank Missile
On October 6, 1973, more than eight hundred tanks from three mechanized infantry divisions poured into the Golan Heights, bordering Israel. A full mass of armor is worn
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