Eurospike (a European Joint Venture between Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Ltd., Diehl Defence and Rheinmetall Electronics) has inked an agreement with the Slovak Ministry of Defence for supply of the 5th generation SPIKE LR2 anti-tank guided missile (ATGM). Slovakia is the 6th nation and among 19 EU/NATO SPIKE missile user nations. There are now 35 SPIKE user nations. It is also the 3rd NATO nation to use the SPIKE LR2 and will now follow the seamless transition by SPIKE Missile user nations from 4th generation SPIKE LR missiles to the 5th generation SPIKE LR2 Missile variant fired from the same vehicle or dismounted launchers.
“We are very thankful for the confidence of the Slovak army and would like also to thank NSPA for their quick responsiveness and professionalism. This procurement by Slovakia follows past contracts of SPIKE Missile by Germany, Baltic States Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, as well as many other European countries, which has created common ATGM capabilities within Europe, serving interoperability and potentially future cross-nation mutual support,” said EUROSPIKE Managing Director, Wolfgang Herrnberger.
The procurement will be carried out through the NATO Support & Procurement Agency (NSPA). The current contract includes dismounted advanced ICLU launchers (Integrated Control Launch Units) signifying that the SPIKE LR2 is now the ATGM of choice both for the Slovak infantry as well as cavalry. The selection of the SPIKE LR2 missile by the Slovak armed forces will allow the Slovakia army 5th generation tactical overmatch. This purchase is part of the ongoing modernization of armed forces taking place around Europe, in which the SPIKE Missiles have assumed a major role in enhancing deterrence and capability.
The SPIKE LR2 features an enhanced standoff range of 5.5 km, fire & forget capabilities as well as man-in-the-loop features, such as retargeting mid-flight, attack of hidden targets beyond-line–of-sight, as well as the ability to launch to non-line-of-sight targets based solely on their geo-coordinates.The missile has two warhead configurations: a Tandem HEAT (High explosive anti-tank) warhead configuration, enhancing armor penetration capability by more than 30%, and a new multipurpose blast warhead, which includes controlled fusing. More than 33,000 SPIKE missiles have been supplied to-date around the world, with over 6000 SPIKE missiles firings, both in training and in combat.
