Slovenian Army successfully fires Rafael's Spike LR missiles
The missiles were fired from a Kongsberg Protector remote weapon station mounted on an Oshkosh joint light tactical vehicle
Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems said Monday that the Slovenian Armed Forces successfully test-fired Rafael's Spike LR missiles in a demonstration last month that included the firing of a 12.7mm gun and a Spike LR missile from a Kongsberg Protector Remote Weapon Station mounted on an Oshkosh joint light tactical vehicle platform. The demonstration was said to have displayed the enhanced capabilities of the Spike launcher as a force multiplier for mobilized land forces, enabling precision strikes against armored targets with improved precision at extended ranges and beyond-line-of-sight.
During the demonstration, the Slovenian Army also fired Spike missiles using the new dismounted digital Spike launcher ICLU, as part of an ongoing transition among all Spike missile user nations to new digital NCW-ready launchers and to 5th generation Spike LR2 missiles, according to the company.
Similar to all other Spike launchers, Rafael said, the integration of the Spike LR into the Kongsberg Protector includes a provision for the Spike LR2, a fifth-generation multipurpose missile, with improved engagement ranges of up to 5.5 km, reduced weight (13.4 kg), enhanced lethality, advanced target recognition and tracking, as well as a new third-party target allocation (network-enabled) enhancement with an embedded inertial measurement unit (IMU) assembly.
In its statement, Rafael noted that in October 2018 the Slovenian Ministry of Defense signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance with the US for the purchase of 38 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) manufactured by Oshkosh Defense. The Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) are scheduled to receive the JLTVs early this year. Procurement of the JLTVs helps meet NATO’s capability goals for the SAF and greatly increases the SAF's interoperability with US and regional allies currently operating JLTVs. All 38 JLTV platforms are to be equipped with the Protector remote weapons station, the company said.
Photo: Rafael