Chris Pocock has been covering the defense beat for AIN for over 30&nbsp;years. He is a British citizen and a graduate of the University of Cambridge. Chris worked in the air cargo business for ten years before becoming a full-time writer in 1983. He subsequently edited two air cargo journals before becoming AIN’s Defense Editor. He retired from that position in 2018, but still contributes to the publication. Chris has written extensively on aerial reconnaissance, including four books on the history of the U-2 spyplane. He also lectures on this and other topics related to intelligence-gathering in the Cold War.

Defense Correspondent

Chris Pocock

Rafael is calling the latest version of the Spike air- and ground-launched weapon a “fifth-generation missile,” as it reports a big new order from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). More than 1,000 Spike LR 2 electro-optically guided missiles are being acquired by the IDF. According to Rafael, more than 26 countries have bought earlier versions of Spike.&nbsp;

 


The Spike LR 2 design is based on lessons learned from modern warfare, combined with accumulated data from more than 5,000 missiles fired in combat and training across its large user base, according to Rafael. It has a range of 5.5 km when fired from ground launchers (an increase of more than 35 percent from the 4-km range of the original missile), and up to 10 km when fired from a helicopter (using the RF data link).

 


The LR 2 incorporates improvements in lethality and immunity to meet both present and future threats. The production order for the IDF ensures that both it and future export customers will be assured technical maturity, low risk and readiness for operations, according to Rafael.

 


The company says that the LR 2 can be fully integrated with all the existing types of Spike launchers in use today.&nbsp;

Rafael Wins Israeli Order For New Version of Spike Missile

The home customer will buy more than 1,000 of a longer-range version of the Spike missile that can also be exported.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN