Israel orders Rafael Spike FireFly for IDF ground forces
The Israeli Ministry of Defence (MoD) has placed an order for Rafael’s Spike FireFly loitering munition, which has been jointly developed by the company and the MoD.
Spike FireFly (called “Maoz” by the IDF) has been designed for combat in urban areas and can be deployed within seconds. It is portable, durable and uses a rugged airframe in order to withstand harsh environments.
Featuring a dual seeker, target tracker, homing algorithms, computer vision and a fuze with safety and arming mechanisms, as well as a ruggedised tablet-based human machine interface, Spike FireFly is suitable for operation by a single dismounted soldier.
Ran Gozali, executive VP and head of the Land & Naval Division at Rafael, said: ‘we believe the procurement of FireFly by the IDF will dramatically revolutionise the infantry doctrines in urban close combat, enabling precision engagement for the lower tactical echelons beyond line-of-sight.’
Each FireFly unit weighs 3kg and provides behind-cover precision attack capabilities.
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