At ShieldAfrica 2021, International Security and Defense Exhibition in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, the Israeli company Rafael presents its full range of naval defense systems, including a naval version of its Spike surface-to-surface guided missile.

Naval launcher unit of Rafael Spike ER surface-to-surface missile at Shieldafrica 2021. (Picture source Army Recognition)

The Naval version of the Spike missile is available in two variants, the Naval Spike ER (Extended Range) and the Naval Spike NLOS (Non-Line-of-Sight).

At ShieldAfrica 2021, a launcher unit of the Naval Spike ER missile was showcased at the Rafael booth. The system consists of four launcher containers mounted on an unmanned turret which can be integrated on different types of warships, ranging from Rigid Hull Inflated Boats (RHIBs) to larger boats and ships. It also includes a fire control system.

The system enables very fast sensor-to-shooter loop closure in day/night defensive and offensive scenarios, thereby ensuring mission success with surgical precision. It also has high-precision engagement capability to ensure minimum collateral damage. in case of friendly force, the operator can abort the mission with the missile in-flight.

Even after the missile launch, the gunner can toggle between the targets and actively direct the missile to an optimized hit point. While in flight, the missile provides valuable intelligence and Battle Damage Assessment (BDA), for the follow-on attack of additional targets.

The Naval Spike ER missile has an effective range up to 10 km. The missile can be fitted with either High Explosive Anti-tank (HEAT) or Penetration Blast Fragmentation (PBF) warheads.