Photo: Lockheed Martin
Like it or not, a weapons platform the likes of the F-15 or F-16 is only as good as the weapons it carries. After all, there’s no use in flying fast and undetected if once over the target there’s nothing to drop on the enemy’s head.
The thing with high-tech weaponry is that the more sophisticated they are, the easier to counteract. For each development in offensive capability, there’s an equal response for defensive means, and this is why going back to simpler tools is sometimes the best way to go.
In the world of precision-guided munition, there is such a thing as systems capable of operating in GPS-denied environments. That means weapons that can navigate toward the target by some other means than by using GPS.
The Israeli-made SPICE is one of these weapons. Made by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, it stands for Smart, Precise Impact, and Cost-Effective and it will soon become available, for the first time, to the American military thanks to a deal signed with Lockheed Martin.
SPICE comprises three weapons systems, namely the 1000 and 2000 guidance kits, and the 250 complete solution. It’s the production and sale of the last one the deal between the two companies is targeting.
According to Lockheed Martin, the 250 “enables maximum loadout on F-16's and F-15’s, reduces pilot workload, and provides multiple strike capability against multiple target types.”
The air-to-surface weapon can weigh up to 113 kg (249 pounds) and can be fitted with a variety of warheads. It can glide over to a target located 100 km away (62 miles). It finds the place it needs to strike either by means of satellite guidance or, where it lacks, electro-optical systems.
The SPICE weapons have been in service since 2003, being deployed on the fighter jets used by Israel, India, or Greece.
In the world of precision-guided munition, there is such a thing as systems capable of operating in GPS-denied environments. That means weapons that can navigate toward the target by some other means than by using GPS.
The Israeli-made SPICE is one of these weapons. Made by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, it stands for Smart, Precise Impact, and Cost-Effective and it will soon become available, for the first time, to the American military thanks to a deal signed with Lockheed Martin.
SPICE comprises three weapons systems, namely the 1000 and 2000 guidance kits, and the 250 complete solution. It’s the production and sale of the last one the deal between the two companies is targeting.
According to Lockheed Martin, the 250 “enables maximum loadout on F-16's and F-15’s, reduces pilot workload, and provides multiple strike capability against multiple target types.”
The air-to-surface weapon can weigh up to 113 kg (249 pounds) and can be fitted with a variety of warheads. It can glide over to a target located 100 km away (62 miles). It finds the place it needs to strike either by means of satellite guidance or, where it lacks, electro-optical systems.
The SPICE weapons have been in service since 2003, being deployed on the fighter jets used by Israel, India, or Greece.
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