According to Radomir Ralev in SeeNews, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems is in talks for the sale of Spike LR2 anti-tank guided missiles to Serbia, regional director Al Zaher said: "We are acting in Serbia together with state-owned defense products manufacturer Jugoimport-SDPR and we are working on the promotion of Spike LR2 rockets," Zaher said in a video file posted on the website of Serbian public broadcaster RTS on Thursday, September 2.
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Israeli company Rafael displayed the latest generation of Spike missiles at DEFEA 2021 in Greece. (Picture source: Army Recognition)
Should the deal with Jugoimport succeed, then Rafael will also offer other weapons like the Spike ER and NLOS missiles that have a much longer range, Zaher said on the sidelines of Kecskemet International Airshow in Hungary. The most advanced Spike LR2 version is currently used by Israel, Slovakia, Estonia and Australia. The missiles are made by German-based Eurospike, a subsidiary of Rafael, RTS reported.
Spike is an Israeli-made fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile and anti-personnel missile fully developed and designed by the Israeli company Rafael. It is a man-portable surface-to-surface missile system but it can be also mounted on combat vehicles or helicopters
Spike ER2 is an extended range 5th generation multi-purpose, multi-platform, multi-domain electro-optical guided missile system, designed for the complex challenges of modern warfare. It offers the optimal weight-to-range ratio, allowing standoff of up to 10-16 km while weighing only 34 kg. This capability enables light and agile platforms (ground, rotary, or maritime) to be modernized while maintaining their maneuverability and agility. The system’s enhanced capabilities enable precision engagement of either direct or non-line-of-sight targets from the ground, in the air, at sea ‒ delivering unprecedented tactical overmatch for ground tank hunter units, attack helicopter squadrons, and naval flotillas.
Spike ER2 includes a real-time fiber optic data link for surface engagement and an RF data link for rotary applications, enabling Man-in-the-Loop retargeting and firing against Beyond-Line-Of-Sight (BLOS) and Non-Line-Of-Sight (NLOS) targets. Enabling simple and rapid rotary platform integration Spike ER2 has been integrated on 10 different types of attack and utility helicopters, dramatically enhancing both the lethality and survivability of the aircraft.
The Spike LR2 is also one of the latest variants in the Spike family. It has a weight of 12.7 kg and the range is increased to 5.5 km at ground level and 10 km from helicopters. It uses 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.
