Rafael to Sell Spike Missiles to Germany for Hundreds of Millions of US Dollars

29/2/2012 Amir Rapaport – Israel defence

In a special interview with Rafael’s Marketing VP, Lubra Drori reveals Rafael will sell additional Spike missiles to Germany

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has signed a contract to supply additional Spike missiles to Germany via its German subsidiary, Eurospike. The deal, worth hundreds of millions of US dollars, was revealed by Luba Drori, Rafael’s Marketing VP.

The Spike missiles are a family of missiles with various operational ranges and similar operational principles: they all possess electro-optic guidance and a doubled (tandem) warhead, intended to penetrate reactive protection. The initial warhead detonates the reactive protection while the second warhead penetrates the passive armor via a hollow charge.

The missile has four rectangular fins that it uses to guide itself towards the target. It is possible to launch the various Spike versions through several means: from a helicopter, from a vehicle, and even a shoulder-mounted missile launcher. The Spike LR has an effective operational range that is between 200 to 4,000 m.