• Defence Notes

  Iron Dome continues to hold sway

  1st June 2021

  The Iron Dome missile and rocket interception system proved its worth last month with extensive use in the latest bout of fighting between Hamas and Israel.

• Land Warfare

  Boxer goes 25 rounds in Australia

  3rd June 2021

  All German-built Boxers have now been delivered to the Australian Army, while the Lynx competes for a contract of its own.

• Training

  RNLA to upgrade live training capabilities

  27th May 2021

  The Royal Netherlands Army is about to embark on a major upgrade of its live training capability to provide enhanced training in a number of new areas.

• Digital Battlespace

  Smaller is beautiful for Israel

  21st May 2021

  IAI is exploring the potential of nanosatellites and microsatellites to deliver persistent overhead surveillance of threat areas.

• Defence Helicopter

  Manila still hopes US can talk Turkey on T129

  21st May 2021

  The Philippines and Turkey remain hopeful of getting American engines for the T129 Atak.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Orbiter 4 finds maritime surveillance and patrol uses, says Aeronautics

  4th May 2021

  The newest member of the Orbiter small tactical UAS family has multiple potential applications for navies.

• Land Warfare

  Germany builds up its MELLS stocks

  29th March 2021

  The latest order from Germany includes 666 Spike LR missiles and 82 integrated command and launch units.

• Digital Battlespace

  SDR technology may make its mark on Orbiter

  12th April 2021

  Rafael may combine software-defined radio communications with unmanned aerial capabilities from Aeronautics.

• Land Warfare

  Summer of acquisition for Czech Army

  30th April 2021

  The Czech Army is set to replace ageing equipment with modern platforms, with delivery of new trucks and contract awards for artillery and air defence expected this summer.

• Land Warfare

  Iron Dome undergoes further tests

  17th March 2021

  In latest tests, Iron Dome intercepted and destroyed simulated existing and emerging threats, including simultaneous interception of multiple UAVs.

• Land Warfare

  ALLTEC and Rafael seal MoU for add-on armour

  10th March 2021

  The two companies will cooperate on business opportunities and projects for the Brazilian MoD and auxiliary forces.

• Land Warfare

  US Army tests Rafael Spike SR missile

  15th February 2021

  At the end of January, Israeli company Rafael and its US subsidiary Rafael Systems Global Sustainment (RSGS) conducted a demonstration to assess the SPIKE SR …

• Land Warfare

  COVID-19 forces Lithuania to revisit Boxer/Vilkas

  16th March 2021

  The Lithuanian MND is seeking solutions in order to keep the Boxer/Vilkas programme on track. The Vice Minister of National Defence recently held a meeting with OCCAR, ARTEC and KMW to discuss potential solutions to overcome the economic effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

• Air Warfare

  Aero India 2021: Rafael showcases Spice 250 with extended range

  3rd February 2021

  New variant of Spice 250 is put on display during Aero India 2021; while there are no confirmed orders yet from India, manufacturer Rafael is selling its Spike ATGM to meet an urgent operational requirement.

• Land Warfare

  Slovenia test-fires Spike LR from Oshkosh JLTV

  25th January 2021

  Demonstration in Slovenia shows force-multiplier capability of Spike for precision strike against armoured targets at extended ranges and beyond line-of-sight.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - mini

  Spike Firefly [Vietnam]

  Background Reported Deal In February 2026, media outlets such as The Defence Post and Intelligence Online reported that Vietnam’s Ministry of Defense had signed a ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer (Vilkas) (Batch 2) [Lithuania]

  Programme Background  Lithuania's Boxers are manufactured by the ARTEC production lines in Germany and the Netherlands. KMW is responsible for producing 56 of the vehicles ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer (Vilkas) (Batch 3) [Lithuania]

  Programme Background  Lithuania's Boxers are manufactured by the ARTEC production lines in Germany and the Netherlands. KMW is responsible for producing 56 of the vehicles ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer (Vilkas) (Batch 1) [Lithuania]

  Programme Background Lithuania's Boxers are manufactured by the ARTEC production lines in Germany and the Netherlands. KMW is responsible for producing 56 of the vehicles ...

• Loitering munitions

  Testing Loitering Munitions [Germany]

  Background Three Tested Models In April 2023, Germany reportedly ordered three different loitering munition systems to assess further their suitability for use by the German Armed ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Project Land 400 Phase 3 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement: 2015 RfI The Land 400 Phase 3 programme will procure a new tracked IFV to replace the Australian Army's legacy fleet of ...

• Military UAS - small

  Orbiter 3 [Greece]

  Programme Background On 17 April 2023, Aeronautics announced a contract to supply "dozens." of Orbiter 3 UAVs to the Greek MoD. The agreement was part ...

• Loitering munitions

  Maritime Launched Effects (MLE) [US]

  Background Origin The loitering munition effort dates back to at least 2018 and was previously called Maritime Precision Engagement (MPE). The US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) ...

• Short Range Missile Defence Systems: 0 to 20 km range

  Rafael [Romania]

  Background The tender for Spyder air defense systems by Rafael was approved by the Romanian parliament in Bucharest in 2020. The procurement process of the systems ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Hunter [Singapore - Contracted]

  Programme Background Development of the Hunter began in 2006 and was assisted by Singapore's Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA). At least five variants of the platform ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Hunter IFV [Singapore]

  Programme Background Development of the Hunter began in 2006 and was assisted by Singapore's Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA). At least five variants of the platform ...

• Long Range Missile Defence Systems: > 90km range

  Long Range Air Defence [Belgium]

  Background In its Strategic Vision Defence 2025 Capability Investment Portfolio (CIP) document, Belgium announced that it has budgeted €1,981,590,000 ($2,287,101,638) for three long-range air defence systems. A decision is ...

• Long Range Missile Defence Systems: > 90km range

  Long Range Air Defence [Luxembourg]

  Background In August 2026, Luxembourg announced that it was cancelling a previously announced joint procurement of NASAMS with Belgium. In its place, Luxembourg announced in ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  VAMTAC ST5 (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) [Spain]

  Background The VAMTAC ST5 is already in Spanish service with the Spanish Army, Navy, and Air Force in various configurations. In June 2025, the Spanish ...

• Long Range Missile Defence Systems: > 90km range

  David's Sling [Finland]

  Background On the fourth of April 2023 Finland joined NATO; on the fifth of April 2023 Finland announced a €317 million ($344 million) acquisition of Israel’s ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Individual assault/anti-tank weapons

  Spike SR

  Part of Rafael's Spike missile family, the fire-and-forget, man-portable Spike Short Range (SR) EO-guided missile system has operational capabilities in all weather conditions. Although the ...

• Multipurpose missiles

  Spike ER

  The Spike ER is a fourth-generation, multipurpose missile fitted with EO charge-coupled device/imaging IR sensors for operation during the day, night and in adverse weather. ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons, Multipurpose missiles

  Spike MR/LR

  The Spike MR and Spike LR share the same command launch unit, thermal sight, tripod and missile technology. The fire-and-forget missile is equipped with an ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - mini

  Spike Firefly

  Spike FireFly is a loitering munition developed jointly by Rafael and the Israeli MoD. It is designated as Maoz by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), and has ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  Spike LR2

  The Spike LR2 (also known as NT-S) is Rafael's fifth-generation anti-tank guided missile system. It is a long-range, multi-purpose, multi-platform weapon designed for infantry, armored ...

• Loitering munitions

  L-Spike 4X

  The L-Spike 4X is a loitering munition first displayed by Rafael US at AUSA 2025.  iI will be offered with two primary warhead configurations: Tandem HEAT ...

• Multipurpose missiles

  Spike ER2

  The Spike ER2 (Extended Range) is a multipurpose missile that can be fired from ground-based, airborne or naval platforms at a range of surface targets, ...

• Towed rocket launchers

  SPARC

  Rafael unveiled the SPARC, a 360° remote-controlled towed launcher for its Spike non-line-of-sight (NLOS) missile, at the September 2015 DSEI exhibition in London. Spike NLOS ...

• Land: RWS

  Samson MK I

  Formerly known as the Remote Controlled Weapon Station-30 (RCWS-30), the Samson MK I is a dual-axis gyro-stabilised unmanned turret developed by Rafael to meet the ...

• Military UAS - small

  Golden Eagle HS

  The Golden Eagle HS (Heavy Strike) is a rotary-wing UAV that can be armed with Rafael's powerful Spike SR and LR2 missiles, providing ground troops with anti-armour ...

• Land: RWS

  Samson Mk II/ Samson 30

  The Samson Mk II (now referred to as the Samson 30) was unveiled in 2012 as a replacement for the original Samson uncrewed turret. Like ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Freccia

  The Freccia 8x8 was developed by CIO to meet an Italian Army requirement for an IFV derived from the 105mm-armed Centauro cavalry vehicle to equip ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Hunter

  ST Engineering began the development of the tracked Next-Generation Armoured Fighting Vehicle (NGAFV) in 2006 as a replacement for the Singapore Army's fleet of approximately ...

• Land: RWS

  R800

  The R800 is a RWS developed by EOS for integration on heavy armoured vehicle platforms. It is designed to offer the capabilities of a medium ...

• Multipurpose missiles

  Spike NLOS

  The Spike NLOS (non-line-of-sight) is a multi-purpose, EO missile system with a real-time wireless data link capable of attacking targets at ranges up to 25km.  ...