Italy is to equip its army and marines with long-range Spike anti-tank guided missiles from Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
According to a mid-July 2023 announcement by the Land Systems Armaments Directorate (TERRARM) of Italy’s Defense and National Armaments Directorate (SEGREDIFESA), it will contract Rafael to supply the most advanced, long-range LR2 version of the system. The EUR 143 M contract is scheduled to run from 2023 to 2030.
The Spike LR2 missile weighs 13 kg, is 1.2 m long and has a diameter of 13 cm. Its maximum range when fired on the ground is 5.5 km. From helicopters, a range of up to 10 km is said to be possible.
According to information from Rafael, the Spike LR2 has a powerful tandem high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead that can destroy all current-generation armoured vehicles, including tanks, as well as smaller naval vessels. It can also be used against structural targets in the urban environment and fuzed to detonate within the structure.
Three modes of operation enable situationally appropriate use of the system: fire and forget, fire and observe, and beyond line of sight.
The Italian armed forces already use earlier Spike variants. The Spike LR2 missile is backward compatible with these systems and can be fired from existing launchers.
Gerhard Heiming
