Spike LR missile successful firing tests by Army of Romania.

Following an order for SPIKE Missiles signed in 2015 by the Romanian government from EuroSpike GmbH (a joint venture between Rafael, Diehl and Rheinmetall), the Romanian Army has recently completed testing and evaluation of ten SPIKE LR (Long Range) missiles. The missiles were fired as part of the Romanian army procurement and evaluation process at the Cincu National Training Center in Braşov, Romania.

Spike LR portable launching station and missile has been tested by Romanian army (Picture source Rafael)

Nine of the ten SPIKE missiles were fired by Romanian gunners at the end of the qualification process. The SPIKE LR System was tested in different firing scenarios, including day mode and IR mode, and was fired against tanks and APCs at different ranges. All ten missiles hit their targets with high performance of both the weapon system and its operators.

The Romanian army is a long time user of the SPIKE Missile family, and has deployed the SPIKE LR in its vehicle-mounted version on a 30 mm RCWS on the BMP Platform, and the SPIKE ER Missile (8km) on the PUMA (SOCAT) helicopters.

The tests conducted in Romania involved the infantry launcher configuration of the ICLU (Integrated Control Launch Unit) which is the new modern digital launcher for SPIKE missiles. The ICLU enables very long range target detection capabilities and integration to a tactical network. The tests were attended by high ranking Romanian officials of army, MOD and local media teams.

The Portable Anti-tank SPIKE-LR Procurement Program will run through 2017-2019 and will equip the infantry, reconnaissance and mountain troop brigades as well as the artillery regiments of the Romanian Land Forces.

The SPIKE Family consists of missiles suited for land, air and sea platforms, multiple ranges and a variety of targets. The missiles in this family have sophisticated electro-optic CCD or IIR sensors for day/night all-weather operation, as well as a tandem warhead. Their lofted trajectories enable the warhead to strike the target at its most vulnerable location with pinpoint precision. All of the SPIKE Family members have a low life-cycle cost, due to high reliability and operational, logistic support and production commonality between members.