India has chosen to buy 8, 000 Israeli Spike anti-tank guided missiles for $524 million, which beat out its main American competitor the Javelin missile produced by Lockheed Martin. India will also acquire more than 300 launchers.
In the past Israel did not very good relations with the world’s second largest nation population. During the Cold War it was squarely in the American camp while India defined itself as non-aligned. But in recent years the two nations have been expanded cultural and economic ties.
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Also, no one argues with success and Israel’s high tech and military industries have the top reputations in the world. Countries would have to be crazy to acquire lower quality military weaponry just because of political differences.
Produced by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the Spike Family consists of missiles suited for several platforms, multiple ranges and a variety of targets. The missiles have sophisticated electro-optic CCD or IR sensors for operation day and night and in adverse weather conditions and a tandem warhead. Their lofted trajectories enable the warhead to hit the target at its most vulnerable part with pinpoint precision. According to Rafael, all of the Spike Family members have a low Life Cycle Cost, due to high reliability and operational, logistic support and production commonality between members.
The SPIKE-ER is a stand-alone anti-armor weapon system that is designed for mounting on various platforms, including helicopters, fast boats and combat vehicles. It can also be dismounted to a ground position and fitted onto a tripod. The compact system includes the SPIKE-ER missile in its canister, the Command Launch Unit, a thermal sight and the SPIKE-ER launcher.
