Israeli arms developer unveils new anti-tank missile, with 32-kilometer range
Fifth-generation missile Spike NLOS being developed under contract with Poland, has ‘pinpoint accuracy,’ Rafael Advanced Defense System says
Israeli weapons manufacturer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems this week unveiled a new anti-tank missile, the Spike NLOS.
The fifth-generation missile was touted by the Israeli arms manufacturer as having a range of 32 kilometers (20 miles), with a low-signature launch and “pinpoint accuracy.”
It can target sites both within and out of sight using digital coordinates and can withstand adverse weather conditions, the manufacturer said.
The company is currently producing the missile for the Polish military, with the weapon unveiled as part of a contract with Warsaw.
Spike anti-tank missiles are already in use by the Israel Defense Forces, where they are renamed “Tammuz” missiles.
Israel is among the world’s top arms exporters. Defense exports reached $7.2 billion last year, the Defense Ministry said Monday, a 5 percent drop from 2018. The figure represented a 23% decline from 2017, though it was still in line with a general trend of growth over the past decade for Israel’s defense exports.
The ministry said most sales were for missiles, rockets and air defense systems. Manned aircraft and weapons launchers were also in demand. The main destinations for the country’s exports were the Asia Pacific region, Europe and North America.
The Defense Ministry said that while it had been expecting further growth in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic is likely to upend those plans. Still, the ministry said it hopes to turn the crisis into an opportunity for the Israeli defense industry, without elaborating.
The Times of Israel Community.