The Slovenian Ministry of Defence has awarded sole bidder EuroSpike a €6.67 million ($6.6 million) contract to provide provide 50 Spike LR2 Lengthy-range Anti-tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs). The contract was formally introduced on the EU tenders database on 6 September, though it was awarded on 29 July. Spike has been in use with the Slovenian Armed Forces since 2009. The missile displayed the improved capabilities of the SPIKE launcher, as a power multiplier for the mobilized land forces, enabling precision strike in opposition to armored targets with improved precision at prolonged ranges and beyond-line-of-sight. Eurospike is a three way partnership based mostly in Röthenbach a.d. Pegnitz between Diehl Defence GmbH & Co. KG, Rheinmetall Electronics GmbH and Rafael Superior Protection Methods Ltd.
In October 2018, the Slovenia Ministry of Protection signed an inter-governmental Letter of Supply and Acceptance (LOA) with the U.S. Authorities for the acquisition of 38 Joint Mild Tactical Autos (JLTV) manufactured by Oshkosh Protection. In December 2020, the Slovenian Armed Forces efficiently test-fired Spike LR missiles from a Kongsberg Protector distant weapon station mounted on an Oshkosh Joint Mild Tactical Automobile. Procurement of the JLTV helps the success of NATO’s functionality objectives for the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) and enormously will increase SAF interoperability with US and regional allies at the moment working JLTV. All 38 JLTV platforms might be outfitted with Protector RWS.
Commercial
Spike is an Israeli fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile and anti-personnel missile with a tandem-charge HEAT warhead, at the moment in its fourth technology. It was developed and designed by the Israeli firm Rafael Superior Protection Methods. In addition to participating and destroying targets inside the line-of-sight of the launcher (“fire-and-forget”), some variants of the missile are able to making a high assault via a “fireplace, observe and replace” methodology (basically lock-on after launch); the operator monitoring the goal, or switching to a different goal, optically via the trailing fiber-optic wire whereas the missile is climbing to altitude after launch. That is just like the lofted trajectory flight profile of the US FGM-148 Javelin.
A brand new technology of the unique Spike-LR is in full-scale growth and scheduled to be operational by the top of 2018. Spike-LR II has diminished weight to 12.7 kg (28 lb), elevated vary of 5.5 km (3.4 mi) at floor stage and 10 km (6.2 mi) from helicopters utilizing an RF data-link, warhead choices of tandem HEAT with 30% elevated armor penetration or a multipurpose blast warhead with selectable impression or penetration detonation fusing, a brand new seeker that features an uncooled IR sensor with a wise goal tracker with synthetic intelligence options, the power to fireplace on grid goal coordinates utilizing an inertial measurement unit for third party-target allocation, and is suitable with legacy launchers.
