Combat-proven capabilities: How precision-strike systems are evolving for tomorrow’s battlespace (podcast)

Brought to you in partnership with Rafael

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Long-range precision strike capabilities have become indispensable to modern armed forces in today’s rapidly shifting global security environment. From the rise of anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) systems to the emergence of dispersed, high-value targets, militaries face mounting pressure to strike with accuracy, independence and speed.

Technological evolution – particularly in autonomy, artificial intelligence (AI) and GPS-independent systems – is now critical to maintaining operational relevance in contested battlespaces.

In response to these evolving challenges, Israel-based Rafael is advancing its suite of air-to-surface weapon systems, shaped by decades of operational experience.

The company produces several major air-to-surface weapon systems to support long-range precision-strike. This includes the SPICE family, notably the SPICE 250 ER, a compact, jet-powered weapon with a 250km range; SPICE ROCKS, a rocket-boosted system with a 300km range, designed for GPS-denied environments; and ICE BREAKER, a 5th-gen cruise missile with advanced targeting and networked operational capability.

These systems will all be on display at the Paris Air Show in June, which takes place against a backdrop of an increasingly volatile and dynamic landscape for many of the world’s militaries.

Gideon Weiss, Vice President of Business Development and Marketing, said Rafael offers systems across a range of operational requirements because of the ongoing demand to adapt to customer needs. Crucially, their operational capability has been proven in combat, he noted.

“It’s not a theory – all of these weapons are in operational use. They provide the agility to adapt to new threats and [offer capability] for more missions.”

Learning from experience

Brigadier General ‘A’ is a former IAF pilot and senior commander who has helped to develop advanced CONOPS involving emerging technologies; he serves as a senior advisor to Rafael on advanced air superiority subjects.

Brig Gen A said that recent conflicts – notably in the Middle East and Ukraine – have underlined two major trends in the battlespace. The first is the continuing rise of anti-access aerial denial (A2AD) capabilities, with radar-based air defence systems capable of targeting fourth and fifth generation aircraft.

The second theme is the potential requirement to target numerous highly valuable targets spread over a vast area. These are individually difficult to address due to the need to penetrate the targets, while the high numbers mean a simultaneous strike, from both the air and the ground, is necessary to address the full range of threats.

How can long-range precision strike systems adapt to such a challenging environment? Self-reliance is crucial, said Brig Gen A. From mission planning to execution, the weapon must be capable of incorporating all the navigation and targeting demands required to strike a target from distance.

Adapting to contested environments

Self-reliance today also demands the ability to operate independently of GPS, added Weiss. “Can we rely on GPS? Obviously, no. We need to be able to have GPS-independent systems,” he said.

“If you do not have weapons and navigation systems that can function independently of GPS, they’re going to be in trouble.” — Gideon Weiss, Rafael’s Vice President of Business Development and Marketing

This has long been a key priority for Rafael, noted Weiss, with the company’s systems utilising electro-optic sensors and seekers, supported by artificial intelligence (AI) to match real-time imagery with preloaded target data.

Such capability is connected to another evolving demand: the need to reduce the sensor-to-shooter timeline as far as possible. This is also enhanced through AI-powered technology, Weiss said.

“You can count on one thing – electronic warfare and GPS jamming is going to be in the battlefield. And if you do not have weapons and navigation systems that can function independently of GPS, they’re going to be in trouble. These AI tools enable us to do just that.”

Harnessing AI and autonomy

Good intelligence is also vital, Weiss said. Today, this can come from many sources: satellites, for instance, or aircraft and UAVs engaged in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. In many cases, allied nations will share information and data with each other, further increasing intelligence availability.

Modern militaries certainly do not lack intelligence in the battlespace, noted Weiss – the issue is getting the most from this data, understanding what is important in the battlefield and what should be prioritised as a high-value target, before pursuing that target in a very short timeframe.

AI-powered data fusion also has a crucial role here, Weiss noted. This has delivered an ability to process more targets at the same time, a significant capability in a saturated battlefield.

“What used to take us days and weeks is now hours, and what used to take us hours is now seconds,” Weiss noted.

Availability and readiness

Weiss emphasised the critical need for availability and readiness. While Rafael operates production lines in Israel, its primary strategic goal is to develop operational and industrial partnerships and collaboration to ensure that system development is localised in-country as far as possible.

“We have industry partners that can manufacture and deliver [the systems in their region],” he said, meaning that armed forces do not rely on Rafael alone but on the capabilities delivered through partnerships.

The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East underscore the need to focus on the weapons required in today’s battlespace, said Weiss. Artillery and air defence are essential, but air-to-surface capabilities can “change the theatre and the battlefield”, he stressed.

“You need high precision and you need it at scale,” he said. Armed forces can – and must – access these capabilities, no matter their budget.

“It’s not ‘gold-plated’: everyone needs this capability. They need to be able to operate in GPS-denied environments.”

Discover how precision strike is evolving to dominate GPS-denied battlespaces. Visit Rafael at the Paris Air Show – Hall 3, Stand A64 – and explore the latest in AI-enable, long-range precision strike capabilities. READ MORE