Rafael's new backpack-sized missile gives ground forces precision strike capability - Anna Ahronheim

 

by Anna Ahronheim

The LSpike 1x is designed to be used by maneuvering forces at company level for precision strikes

 

Rafael's LSpike 1x

(photo credit: RAFAEL ADVANCED SYSTEMS)

 

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has unveiled the L-SPIKE 1x, a tactical loitering munition designed to provide maneuvering forces at company level with independent precision-strike capability. The system incorporates advanced electro-optical technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and robust safety standards to meet the demands of modern battlefield environments.

According to Rafael, the L-SPIKE 1x is engineered to the highest MIL-STD specifications, ensuring operational resilience in navigation-denied conditions, such as GPS jamming, spoofing, communication disruptions, and adverse weather. This reliability is central to its role as a force multiplier for tactical units operating in contested environments.

Weighing just 2.2 kg., and designed for backpack portability, the L-SPIKE 1x offers a range of up to 5 km., along with loitering times of 15 minutes when armed, and 30 minutes in reconnaissance mode. 

Its 420-gr. fragmentation warhead delivers 360-degree lethality, while integrated VIS/IR sensors and AI-based target prediction enhance situational awareness and strike accuracy. By combining reconnaissance and strike capabilities in a single platform, the system reduces reliance on external air or ground fire support, enabling company commanders to act with greater autonomy and speed.

Spike NLOS fired from Apache (credit: RAFAEL ADVANCED SYSTEMS)

“Thanks to these high safety standards, we can proudly say that this retrievable and reusable munition has, despite intensive operational use, maintained a flawless safety record, and not a single safety incident has occurred to date,” said an official from Rafael.

The company has positioned the L-SPIKE 1x as the “Company Commander’s Army Aviation,” underscoring its role in bridging the gap between tactical ground units and higher-echelon fire support. The system empowers small formations with capabilities traditionally reserved for larger, more resource-intensive assets, thereby reshaping the dynamics of close combat and maneuver warfare. Its introduction reflects a broader trend in defense innovation: the decentralization of precision strike and ISR capabilities to lower echelons, enhancing lethality and survivability in multi-domain operations.

Pinpoint precision in various ranges

The L-SPIKE 1x is the first member of Rafael’s newly announced L-SPIKE Family, a portfolio of loitering munitions that draws on four decades of expertise in electro-optical systems and more than 20 years of operational experience with loitering technologies. Much of this experience has remained classified until recently, but the unveiling of the L-SPIKE family signals Rafael’s intent to expand its footprint in the loitering munition market, offering scalable solutions tailored to diverse operational needs.

Rafael has three missiles in the SPIKE family: SPIKE NLOS (non-line of sight), SPIKE ER (extended range), SPIKE MR/LR (medium/long-range), and SPIKE SR (short range). 

They provide pinpoint precision at extended ranges, including against non-line-of-sight targets. Operable in both offensive and defensive scenarios, it provides real-time tactical intelligence and damage assessments, allowing it to be adjusted to targets and abort missions in mid-flight. 

According to Rafael, the sixth generation of the SPIKE NLOS has several new enhanced capabilities, including technology that allows troops to close the sensor-to-shooter loop quicker and more efficiently neutralize swam attacks from standoff ranges.

The 6th Gen SPIKE NLOS is reported to have an extended range of up to 50 km. when launched from a helicopter and up to 32 km. when fired from land or naval platforms. It can also overcome anti-access and area-denial targets without compromising its accuracy, efficiency, or lethality.

Control over the sixth-generation missile can be transferred between battlefield platforms mid-flight, allowing for uninterrupted operational pace and seamless collaboration between systems. For example, if a helicopter launches the missile but flies out of the area, a ground vehicle in the same attack zone vicinity can take control of it and navigate the missile toward the target. 

Rafael’s image-matching capabilities have also been integrated into the missile to enable swift aerial image transfers. A single operator and launcher can fire and control up to four missiles simultaneously, allowing for the element of surprise against enemy forces.

SPIKE family

The SPIKE has been sold in various versions to 45 countries, including 20 NATO forces. The munition has been produced, supplied, and integrated onto as many as 45 different platforms, including 10 types of helicopters, as well as ground vehicles, marine vessels, and more.

The IDF also has thousands of SPIKE missiles, including specially customized SPIKE SR rocket launchers for its infantry forces, that have a reduced weight of 40% to provide greater flexibility to troops in the field during land maneuvers. It is also in use by the Israeli Air Force and Navy.

Anna Ahronheim

Source: https://www.jpost.com/defense-and-tech/article-874601

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