Spike SR for Poland

Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. and Polish company Mesko, a subsidiary of the Polish Armaments Groups (Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa, PGZ), have agreed to co-produce the shoulder-launched Spike SR (Short-Range) ATGM, as part of Poland’s ‘Pustelnik’ program.

“A future decision to equip the Polish Army with the Spike SR offers not only an operational advantage,  exceeding the specification requirements of the ‘Pustelnik’ program, but also an economic benefit to the local economy, as it further deepens industrial cooperation between Mesko and Rafael, making Mesko part of the Spike SR global supply chain, as components of the missile will be produced in Poland, not only for the local market, but also for export customers.” Gal Papier, director of marketing & business development, Precision Tactical Weapon Systems directorate at Rafael said.

The ‘Pustelnik’ programme is led by the Armaments Inspectorate, which acts on behalf of the Polish Ministry of Defense (MOD). The project is aimed at selecting the preferred anti-tank missile system for Poland’s Territorial Defense Forces (Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej, WOT).

The Spike SR is an advanced Fire & Forget missile system, designed for us at distances exceeding 2000 meters. The missile is simple-to-use and requires very short training.

Spike SR is a man-portable system for day and night use, capable of defeating various types of armoured combat vehicles, like main battle tanks (MBT) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFV). It has a mass of only 10kg. Spike SR is totally disposable, a feature that enables the soldier a higher level of mobility and maneuverability after firing.

Spike SR is the smallest member of the well-established, globally known and combat-proven Spike ATGM family, which is in service in 34 countries, including 19 NATO nations, with over 34,000 missiles already supplied and more than 6,000 fired in tests and combat.

The Spike LR is the missile variant that has been in use by the Polish Defense Forces for some 15 years now, with local production of the missile parts and final assembly taking place in Poland by Mesko since 2003.

The Spike SR missile is designed for different ground combat scenarios, for the tactical maneuvering forces, platoon-level and for special forces. It has unique operational characteristics that enable a high level of operational readiness. It can be carried easily by a solider without affecting maneuverability, enabling simple, intuitive and quick operation, with only a few seconds from “cold-start” to launch, in a variety of operational and environmental scenarios.

The missile’s lethality is achieved by a tandem HEAT warhead with a precursor charge that defeats Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA), allowing the main warhead to achieve its full penetration of Rolled Homogeneous Armor (RHA).  With a high-hit probability in all scenarios and ranges, the missile can operate  in severe weather conditions (from -35˚C to 55˚C) and in complex combat scenarios, such as engagement of fast-moving targets.

The missile’s standoff range ensures a higher degree of force survivability, as it does not rely on any means of designation (e.g. laser), enabling the force to stay hidden. Due to the fact that its operation does not require special training, infrastructure, or a designated gunner, Spike SR enables operational flexibility.