Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1064315
range and certain obvious limitations as for its applicability. However, it has surely been an export success, being a perfect element of the Ameri- can battle order and requirements for light anti-tank weapons. Spike The origins of the Spike are linked to the Israeli attempts to develop a ATGM that could attack enemy tanks from a distance, taking into ac- count that the target could hide behind natural obstacles, which has been in the works since the time of the Yom Kippur War. American TOWs did not meet the requirements of the IDF because they were difficult to guide. Therefore, there was a need for a different solution. The first was the Tamuz (1982) – offering a range of about 10 km, radio-guided and based on a simple data link transmitting the image from a day vision camera, or a thermal vision camera in later variants. The missile attacked from a significant elevation level, which was necessary to maintain the connection with the launcher. As a result, the connection was lost below some level. Since Tamuzes were big and heavy, they were used to create self-propelled tank destroyers with launchers fixed on M113 transporters or M48 tanks, each carrying 12 missiles, becoming the Pereh missile carrier. As part of the low-cost disposal of the mis- siles' service life, they got employed in com- bat from 2005 (the Gaza Strip) to the time of Protective Edge (2014). Around 1,000 Ta- muzes were launched in total in combat. The Tamuz turned out to be a success, although the missile itself was too big and heavy to be used as a substitute to the TOW. The dead zone was too big, and the guidance system had many flaws. At the same time, some- what in the background, there were works to develop an own missile. Rafael suggested fi- ber-optic guidance already in the 1970s, but it appeared technically unfeasible back then. In the early 1980s, in turn, the IDF decided to opt for a laser beam guided system for an own modification of the TOW – MAPATS. The missile is basically an aerodynamic copy of the TOW-2, featuring laser beam guidance. But that solution (from 1984) did not satisfy the IDF either, and this was because the range was limited by the direct line of sight (LOS) of the target in field conditions and the increasingly common installation of laser warning systems on tanks, such as the Shtora or the Polish Bobrawa, which not only protected tanks through a salvo of multispectral smoke grenades but also indicated the approximate location of the launcher... By the end of the 1980s, such systems were able to ensure protection against beam riding in as much as 80% (!) of cases. No wonder the IDF started looking for alternatives quite soon. The qualities sought-after included small size and weight, passive guidance with human in the decision loop, and a feature of BLOS firing. In 1987, Rafael obtained an approval to have the army finance its works on a new missile guided passively using a thermal vision camera and fiber-optic technology. The program was named Gil. It got suspended in 1992 and restored two years later. The new system, known then as the NT-G Gil, was adopted by the IDF in 1998. Although Israeli sources don't speak much about it, the sequence of events and the dimensions and the applied solutions make it clear – Hughes' offer from the AAWS-M program of mid-1980s was identical in terms of the applied solutions and the aerodynamic features, and very similar in terms of the size and weight to the Gil. So we can be almost certain that after Texas Instruments' solution was chosen as part of the AAWS-M program (ca 1988), Hughes' rival solution did not go to waste and made it to Israel. The Spike is, in fact, the Javelin's stepbrother, and its technical features originate from the same program – AAWS-M, which paved the way for the FGM-148, although Israel's requirements were much different. The acquired technology had enough potential to make it possible to create – in combination with the experience with the Tamuz – a whole family: Ä the basic lightweight F&F NT-G Gil, Ä the medium range NT-S Spike, Ä the aerial NT-D Dandy ATGM, Ä the Spike NLOS – a direct successor to the Tamuz. In 2002, the family was rebranded to bear the name 'Spike' and the following labels: MR, LR, and ER. The advantage of the Spike family is the scalability of solutions based on standard sub-assemblies. Rafael's prod- uct range is also highly flexible and offers several guidance options – from the sim- plest F&F based on a thermal vision camera to fiber-optic guided missiles with a dual mode based on a thermal vision camera and daylight. There are also different warheads to select from, e.g. three different types of fuel. The Israeli are not very strict when it comes to transferring some of their tech- nology to countries who have bought Spike products. As a result, the Spike has become a considerable export success – at least 25 countries are Spike users, with over 70 launchers to be sent to: Ä Finland – 118 Ä Germany – 410 Ä Italy – 365 Ä Lithuania – 88 Ä the Netherlands – 297 Ä Poland – 264 Ä Spain – 260) Much more than 70 (the exact number is secret) been sold to Israel, Sin- gapore, Romania, Azerbaijan, Chile, and Peru. This gives a total of at least 13 major operators of the system. The Spike family is currently manufactured in four countries, although the extent of works is highly diversified. The base and complete manu- facturing is handled by Rafael in Israel, of course. The second network of cooperators in terms of the transfer of technology and the final as- sembly plant is found in Germany – as part of the EuroSpike GmbH program, the country manufactures 70% of sub-assemblies, including guided warheads, powers supply systems, launchers, CLUs, and other elements. General Dynamics-Santa-Barbara Sistemas operating in Spain deal mainly with final assembly. The percentage of technology transfer LAND FORCES