Rafael’s air to surface missiles are providing upper hand in the combat
We have read about countries using their fighter aircraft during combat for attacks and counter-attacks. Bombs are dropped in the enemy’s territories and after the job is done, aircrafts make an escape. But is it all so simple?
There are different types of missiles that are used in combat. Air to air, air to surface and target missiles are just to name a few. But in this article, we are going to cover the most advanced air to surface missiles that are used in a battle.
These air to surface missiles are not just any missiles which when dropped off, just take the fall. The way these missiles work, it seems like they have a mind of their own. While there are missiles which are guided using laser guidance, optical guidance, satellite guidance and infrared guidance, the advanced countermeasures taken against these missiles have pushed the manufacturers to create something which can work in any given environment.
The air to surface missiles manufactured by Rafael not only render assured navigation, precision, targeting and homing, these missiles also provide exceptional performance in GPS denied regions.
Some of these missiles are:
Rocks
The newest addition in Rafael’s weapon family, this air to surface missile is used for targeting and destroying high-value enemy’s assets and mobile targets, even in GPS denied regions. These missiles are not only capable of making a kill on the ground, but also under the ground.
But how does this missile work?
The pilot of the fighter aircraft assigns the mission to the missile. The mission information includes imagery data, coordinates, angle etc. The missile is then launched from the aircraft. The target is destroyed by making use of Anti-radiation capability and scene matching technology.
Some of the key features of this air to surface missile are:
1. Highly accurate
2. Extended and excellent standoff range
3. Works in all weathers
4. Immune to GPS jamming
The technology used in the Rocks is the combination of SPICE and legacy popeye.
SPICE
Spice is another air to surface missile by Rafael. Just like Rocks, this missile is also capable of performing and killing in GPS denied regions.
Some of the key features of this air to surface missile are:
1. Highly accurate and successful destruction of the targets.
2. Overcomes all sorts of errors coupled with the target location
3. Works in all weathers.
4. Immune to GPS jamming.
5. Multiple missions can be assigned.
SPICE is compatible for working with single as well as dual seater aircraft such as Mirage, Tornado etc.
Laser-guided bombs, which are still widely used during the combats were proven vulnerable in regions using countermeasures. GPS guided missiles have also proven to underperform in regions using GPS countermeasures. Hence an immune missile to all the above issues was the need of the hour.
Having an advanced weapon system not only gives a country an upper hand in the battle but also helps in saving the lives of the militants. While Rocks is still new in the missile family, SPICE has successfully drawn international attention to itself.