Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and its US subsidiary demonstrated the SPIKE SR (Short Range) missile at the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment (AEWE) 2021 earlier this month.
AEWE 2021 is assessing advanced technologies in support of US Army modernisation efforts.
SPIKE SR, which is part of the Spike Family of anti-tank guided weapons, is a 10 kg shoulder-fired munition with a range of 2000 meters. Rafael says the SPIKE SR’s ease of use allow lower echelon infantry to rapidly qualify and sustain a high level of operation with minimal training.
AEWE assessed SPIKE SR as a precision munition system for infantry squads and for its ability to allow close-combat formations to 'dominate the operational environment and handle new threats in a near-peer conflict.'
During the assessment, live SPIKE SR missiles hit both static and moving targets in day (EO) and IR modes. Challenges included overcoming battlefield obscurants that effectively eliminated the target from the field of view. During the assessment, soldiers received instruction on the operation of the weapon, including indoor and outdoor training. Rafael says US Army evaluators provided positive feedback on the system’s light weight, lethality and ease of use compared to what is currently in use by the US Army.
The assessment was the first live-fire demonstration of SPIKE SR on US soil.
“We were greatly honored to present the advanced SPIKE SR missile system for assessment by the AEWE team," said LTG. (Ret.) Joe Anderson, President and CEO of Rafael Systems Global Sustainment (the US subsidiary), said. "This light-weight system can greatly enhance squad-level soldier lethality, a core capability of the Army."
“AEWE was an important opportunity to demonstrate SPIKE and multiple other Rafael systems. This included Fire Weaver, our sensor-to-shooter system, and BNET, our broadband IP SDR (Software Defined Radio). These systems, combined with SPIKE SR, can provide tactical overmatch by enabling high maneuverability and lethality. The live fire further demonstrated the effectiveness of SPIKE and provided a good opportunity for first-hand soldier feedback."
The Spike SR will be offered by VRA (Varley Rafael Australia) for the Land 159 program's requirement for a medium range guided weapon.