On 2 September 2024 Dutch Defence Secretary Gijs Tuinman informed the Dutch House of Representatives that Spike LR2 long-range anti-tank missiles would be procured for the Dutch armed forces from Israel’s Rafael.
A procurement contract is to be signed in October, with the new Spike LR2 missiles to be delivered from 2026 to mid-2028.
In 2020 the Netherlands procured over 2,000 Spike MR anti-tank missiles with a range of up to 2,500 m. Following a change in the threat scenario in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it was determined that modern launch systems are required for the Dutch armed forces that make it possible to engage enemy armoured vehicles up to a distance of 5,000 m.
The Spike LR2 anti-tank weapon system can be operated both in ‘fire-and-forget’ mode and in ‘fire, observe and update’ mode. In the latter case, the missile is operated via a fibre optic datalink. The fibre-optic connection is fail-safe and allows the mission to be aborted if necessary or for a different target to be selected.
The Dutch Ministry of Defence has referred to the use of the system in Germany and numerous other NATO countries as well as Switzerland, meaning that a Dutch procurement of Spike LR2 will contribute to a degree of standardisation across allied countries.
