The missile was launched vertically and manually controlled by an operator on the ground by use of a television camera mounted on the nose. Related Categories. [1][2] The missile was launched vertically and manually controlled by an operator on the ground by use of a television camera mounted on the nose. Later on, the missile was fired from a separate trailer launcher instead, ditching the non-standard M113 APCs altogether. A processor (26) is included for reformatting the first and second signals for display thereof. With this, the operator can obtain a target if it is not in the line of sight of the operator at launch, switch targets in flight, or compensate for the movement of the target if the missile is not tracking the target for some reason. Maximum range is 4,000 m (2.5 mi) and it is used by infantry and light combat vehicles. It has a minimum range of 400 m and a maximum range of 8,000 m (5.0 mi). Spike is a fire-and-forget missile with lock-on before launch and automatic self-guidance. Mini Spike would use the same launcher and sight system of the Spike-LR, loading the missile on a special adaptor. [10] The missile is 8 kg (17 lb 10 oz) for a 9.8 kg (21 lb 10 oz) disposable munition for use at platoon-level whose minimum range is 50 m (160 ft) and whose maximum range is 1.5 km (0.93 mi). [5][6] Both Israel and the United States have experimented with arming Black Hawk helicopters with the Spike missile; the US variant is used in UH-60M Battlehawk helicopters. Vehicles that are not normally fitted with anti-tank weapons can therefore be given anti-tank capability. [29], In 2011 it also became known that in a highly unusual move, the British Army was hastily equipped with the missile, drawn directly from IDF inventory after being exposed to increasing insurgent attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan beginning in 2007 with three variants of the NLOS being procured. Products & Suppliers. Spike has been tested as a weapon system for the SAGEM Sperwer unmanned aerial vehicle. There is no dedicated thermal sight on the launcher – the missile's imaging seeker is used. [21][22] First ordered by the IDF in October 2017. Altogether, the long range variant of the system weighs around 26 kg (57 lb). Penetration is around 1,000 mm (39 in) of RHA. The weapon was primarily designed for anti-tank use, or against low flying helicopters. The Enhanced Fiber Optic Guided Missile (EFOGM) is designed to be a rapidly deployable missile system capable of defeating armored vehicles, rotary wing aircraft, and other high value targets. A total of 600 missiles was acquired, the breakdown being 200 NLOS MK.2 in 2007, 200 NLOS MK.4 in 2008 (together with the MK.2 these were known as Exactor-1) and 200 NLOS MK.5 (Exactor-2) in 2009. The FOG-M (Fiber-Optic Guided Missile) was not adopted by the US military or any other armed forces, despite the program being revived in the late 1980s. 2 Eglin Air Force Base developed air- to-ground fiber optic payout using the GBU-15 missile. The fiber is payed out from a bobbin in the back of the missile. Spike is an Israeli fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile and anti-personnel missile with a tandem-charge HEAT warhead, currently in its fourth-generation. [24] It has a larger diameter and is heavier than the other systems, and is usually vehicle mounted. • Missile in canister: 34 kg (74 lb 15 oz) [30] For operational security, the codename of 'Exactor missile' was assigned in British service and it was initially mounted on launchers atop leased M113 APCs. The missile uses a tandem warhead consisting of two shaped charges: a precursor warhead to detonate any explosive reactive armor, and a primary warhead to penetrate the underlying armor. EuroSpike GmbH is located in Röthenbach, Germany. [23], Extended range or extra-long range version of the weapon (Israeli designation: NT-Dandy or NT-D). • Tripod: 2.8 kg (6 lb 3 oz) Its fiber optic non line-of-sight guidance system allows the weapon system's operator to guide the missile to the acquisition and destruction of the target. A secondary use for this system is as an UAV. Video guidance also allows precision air strikes against moving targets from 50,000 feet above with Fiber Optic Guided (FOG) bombs. 12 companies. [26][27][28] The Spike NLOS uses a fiber optic link similar to other Spike versions, but only out to 8 km, after which it employs a radio data link for command guidance. Missile- and Satellite-Borne Optics; • Command & launch unit (CLU): 5 kg (11 lb 0 oz) [25], "Non Line Of Sight" is an ultra long-range version of the weapon (Israeli designation: Tamuz, תמוז), with a claimed maximum range of 25 kilometres (16 miles). [31][32], In a deal concluded on 6 September 2011, the South Korean government had agreed to purchase an unknown number of Spike NLOS missiles. The European variant of the Spike weapon system differs a little from the Israeli version and is marketed under the name EuroSpike. [3], The short range version of the weapon was unveiled in 2012 to give infantrymen a guided missile between the larger Spike-MR and unguided rockets. It is a significantly larger missile than other Spike variants, with an overall weight of around 70 kg (154 lb 5 oz). The missile is designed with a counter-active protection system (CAPS) capability, being able to hit targets at higher impact angles of up to 70 degrees. As well as engaging and destroying targets within the line-of-sight of the launcher ("fire-and-forget"), some variants of the missile are capable of making a top attack through a "fire, observe and update" method (essentially lock-on after launch);[4] the operator tracking the target, or switching to another target, optically through the trailing fiber-optic wire (or RF link in the case of the vehicle-mounted, long-range NLOS variant) while the missile is climbing to altitude after launch. This missile uses a turbofan motor instead of a turbojet motor. [3] The signals from the camera were carried via a thin wire that unspooled the further up the missile reached. Currently, it is replacing aging second generation anti-tank missiles like the MILAN and M47 Dragon in the armies of the user nations. Its shareholders Diehl Defence (40%), Rheinmetall Defence Electronics (40%) and Rafael via ERCAS B.V (20%). [36][37] Rafael claimed that this latest member of the Spike family of missile costs and weighed only a third of the Spike-LR at 4 kg (8.8 lb), while offering a longer engagement range of 1.3–1.5 km (0.81–0.93 mi) when compared to the Spike-SR. [35], On 2 September 2009, at an IDF exhibition held at the 3rd Latrun annual land warfare conference, the Israeli Defense Force unveiled a new member of the Spike family of missiles – the Mini Spike Anti-personnel guided weapon (APGW). [20], A new generation of the original Spike-LR is in full-scale development and scheduled to be operational by the end of 2018. The first variants entered service with the IDF in tandem with the Pereh missile carrier in 1981, though the existence of both was not revealed to the public until 2011. ALAS flies at very low attitude and has very small radar and IC reflexive. The missile is equipped with an imaging infrared seeker. To achieve this, the Spike-NLOS has a tiny fiber-optic cable linking the launching vehicle with the missile, as well as a camera in the missile itself. [4] It was developed and designed by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. [12][38] By 2016, Mini-Spike development had been discontinued. [15], Long range version (Israeli designation: NT-Spike). Spike-LR II (Israeli designation: Gil-2, גיל 2) has reduced weight to 12.7 kg (28 lb), increased range of 5.5 km (3.4 mi) at ground level and 10 km (6.2 mi) from helicopters using an RF data-link, warhead options of tandem HEAT with 30% increased armor penetration or a multipurpose blast warhead with selectable impact or penetration detonation fusing, a new seeker that includes an uncooled IR sensor with a smart target tracker with artificial intelligence features, the ability to fire on grid target coordinates using an inertial measurement unit for third party-target allocation, and is compatible with legacy launchers. [14], The medium range version (Israeli designation: NT-Gil). It is equipped with a stiff-necked uncooled electro-optical infrared seeker and advanced tracker, as opposed to the gimballed seeker in the Spike MR/LR/ER versions. [16] Maximum range is 4,000 m (2.5 mi) and it is used by infantry and light combat vehicles. The Spike system is made up of the launching tripod with its fire control unit and the missile. Fiber Optic Guided Bombs The EFOG missile is one of the most revolutionary weapons in ground combat, and is explained at this website. • Missile round: 14 kg (30 lb 14 oz) The long and extended range versions of the Spike also have the capability of "Fire, Observe and Update" operating mode (also known as Lock-on after launch (LOAL)). [20], In 2020 the US Army announced its intention to procure Spike NLOS missiles to be mounted on Apache helicopters. It is used by infantry, Light Combat Vehicle (LCVs), and helicopters. The weight of the missile is 34 kg (74 lb 15 oz), the launchers are 30 kg (66 lb 2 oz) and 55 kg (121 lb 4 oz) respectively for the vehicle and air-launched versions. The Finnish Navy's Coastal Jaegers and Philippine Navy's Multi-purpose Attack Craft Mk.III also operate this version in the anti-ship role. We use cookies to improve user experience and analyze our website traffic as stated in our, Photonics in Defense & Aerospace Newsletter, Extreme UV Source Facility Opens with Ultrashort Pulses and High Frequencies, NIH Grant Supports Breast Imaging System Combining Light, Ultrasound Technologies, SBI, Theragnostics Agreement Will Accelerate Fluorescence-Based Oral Cancer Diagnoses, IPIC SFI Research Center, Tyndall National Institute, UCC Innovation Officially Launch Biophotonics Collaboration BioPixS, Photodetector Sees Full Spectrum in Thin, Compact Construction. [19] In early 2014, Rafael revealed they had increased the range of the Spike-LR to 5 km (3.1 mi), enhancing versatility on existing firing platforms and allowing it to be utilized on new ones like light helicopters. The Air Force involvement in fiber-optic payout systems included the Guided Bomb Unit (GBU)-15. The Raytheon MGM-157 EFOGM (Enhanced Fiber Optic Guided Missile) was a long-range enhanced fibre optic guided missile developed for the U.S. Army during the 1980s and 1990s to test the use of fibre optics in missiles. [12] The warhead can either be a multi-purpose tandem shaped-charge warhead with blast-fragmentation effect[10] or a new Penetration-Blast-Fragmentation (PBF) variant leveraged from the MATADOR's anti-structure warhead to equip maneuvering forces in urban environments to breach enemy cover and structures with a lethal blast effect. [8], For other areas of the world, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. is solely responsible. This is similar to the lofted trajectory flight profile of the US FGM-148 Javelin. It retains the same weight, airframe, surface geometries, and propulsion unit but introduces a two-way RF data-link to increase real-time control to an extended range of 16 km (9.9 mi) from helicopters; it also has an extended fiber optic link to increase range to 10 km (6.2 mi) from land and naval platforms.