Spike MR/LR/ER

Spike MR/LR/ER

Type: Assault Rifle

Domain: land

Country of Origin: Israel

Manufacturer: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems / Rheinmetall

Overview

Israeli Spike anti-tank guided missile family adopted by Finland for infantry, vehicle-mounted, and helicopter-launched anti-armor missions. Finland operates multiple Spike variants: Spike-MR (Medium Range, 2.5 km), Spike-LR (Long Range, 4 km for ground launch, 8 km from helicopters), and Spike-ER (Extended Range, 8 km ground launch). All Spike missiles feature electro-optical/infrared imaging seekers transmitting real-time video to operator via fiber-optic datalink, fire-and-forget or fire-observe-and-update modes allowing operator control throughout flight, lock-on-before-launch or lock-on-after-launch when cued by other sensors, tandem-charge warhead defeating reactive armor with penetration exceeding 1,000mm, top-attack or direct-attack selectable flight profiles, and capability to abort and switch targets mid-flight. The imaging seeker provides exceptional accuracy and target identification. Finnish ground forces use man-portable Spike launchers and vehicle-mounted systems on Patria AMVs. Finnish NH90 helicopters are equipped with Spike-ER for anti-armor missions. The Spike family provides Finnish forces with world-class anti-tank capability superior to older wire-guided missiles. Combat-proven extensively in Middle East conflicts.

Technical Specifications

WarheadTandem HEAT
GuidanceElectro-optical fire-and-forget / man-in-the-loop
LauncherInfantry tripod or vehicle mount
VariantsSpike MR (2,500 m), Spike LR (4,000 m), Spike ER (8,000 m)
Penetration700+ mm RHA behind ERA
Weight (MR)14 kg missile, 26 kg launcher

Operators

Related land Weapon Systems