According to information released by the Israeli Ministry of Defense on Monday, April 10, 2023, Greece has signed a $400 million contract with Israel to purchase Spike anti-tank guided missiles manufactured by the Israeli company Rafael.
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An Italian soldier assigned to Bravo Company, 11th Bersaglieri Battalion aims the Spike-LR anti-tank guided missile in the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, Feb. 21, 2021. (Picture source U.S. DoD)
Greece and Israel have developed a strong relationship in terms of defense cooperation in recent years. The two countries have increased their military ties and have engaged in joint military exercises, intelligence sharing, and technology transfer. In 2020, Greece has ordered two Heron UASs (Unmanned Aerial Systems) from Israel.
One of the main reasons for the close defense relationship between Greece and Israel is their shared concern about regional security challenges. Both countries are facing threats from neighboring countries and non-state actors, and they see each other as valuable partners in addressing these challenges.
In 2015, Greece and Israel signed a defense cooperation agreement, which paved the way for increased military cooperation. The agreement includes provisions for joint training exercises, intelligence sharing, and cooperation on defense technology.
Since then, the two countries have conducted joint military exercises, including a joint naval exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean in 2020. They have also cooperated on the development of defense technologies, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other advanced military systems.
In addition, Greece and Israel have expressed support for each other in international forums, such as the United Nations, and have coordinated their positions on a range of regional security issues.
The Spike missile family is designed and manufactured by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, an Israeli defense technology company. is one of Rafael's most well-known and widely-exported products, with numerous countries around the world adopting it for their armed forces. The Spike family comprises several variants, such as Spike-SR (Short Range), Spike-MR (Medium Range), Spike-LR (Long Range), Spike-ER (Extended Range), and Spike-NLOS (Non-Line-of-Sight). These variants cater to different operational needs and can be launched from various platforms like ground vehicles, helicopters, and naval vessels.
The Spike missiles are equipped with advanced electro-optical seekers, allowing them to lock onto targets and guide themselves without continuous input from the operator. This fire-and-forget capability increases the survivability of the launching platform and reduces the workload for operators. The missiles utilize a tandem warhead system that is effective against both conventional and reactive armor. The first warhead initiates the reactive armor, while the second penetrates the main armor, ensuring the destruction of the target.
The range of each Spike missile variant is as follows: Spike-SR has a range of 1.5 km, Spike-MR has a range of 2.5 km, Spike-LR has a range of 4 km, Spike-ER has a range of 8 km, and Spike-NLOS has a range of 25-30 km.
