After several insulting to the Jewish remarks by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and some propagandists and statesmen of the aggressor state, official Israel, which has been in no hurry to help Ukraine since the start of the war, was fairly loyal to Russia and even blocked Israeli arms supplies, changed their mind. And now Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets says that Israel has never blocked the transfer of Israeli weapons to Ukraine , despite previous rumors, and in general, has always been for the Red and Blacks.

Last year, Estonia purchased many weapons from Israel, including more than 500 Spike anti-tank missiles and the Blue Spear coastal defense missile system. Anti-ship Blue Spear will most likely not be given to us (it’s apity, this substitute of Harpoon hits 290 on surface and ground targets, and the latest options even 400 km), but getting Spike ATGM is quite real. Especially since we are talking about these anti-tank weapons from the very beginning of the war. And although the Armed Forces probably already have 10 anti-tank systems per Russian tank , the stock, as they say, does not pull a pocket. Moreover, Spike, especially in the version of Spike NLOS, which has a range of 25 km, will complement our Stugna-P, FGM-148 Javelin, MBT LAW / NLAW та M982 Excalibur.

Spike anti-tank missile system (in fact, it is not just an anti-tank, but a multifunctional complex), like most Israeli weapons, created by the state corporation Rafael Advanced Defense Systems in the late 1970s, and since 1981 has been in service with the Israel Defense Forces and many other armies. The fifth generation Spike is currently in development.

Spike is a hybrid of Stugna-P and FGM-148 Javelin. The missile can be wire-managed, visually accompanying the target, and you can use the infrared homing head, or both. In flight profile, Spike almost repeats Javelin and hits tanks from above. Tandem warhead allows you to destroy any targets. There are Spike variants for short distances, such as Spike-SR (50 – 1500 m), for medium, such as Spike-MR (200 – 2500 m), and for large distances, such as Spike-LR (200 – 4000 m) and Spike-LR II (200 – 5500 m), and for very large there are Spike-ER (400 – 8000 m) and Spike-ER II (400 – 10000 m). And there is Spike NLOS (Non Line Of Sight), which can destroy enemy tanks at a distance of up to 25 km. But here the tripod and the rocket are heavy – 26 and 14 kg, respectively.

25 km is a real game changer, AGTM with artillery range and accuracy of attacking UAVs. In addition, there are Spike-ER versions for helicopters with a launch container for 4 missiles. It would be great to get those for Bayraktar TB2!! And Spike-ER can be mounted on vehicles and even on ATVs. Cool thing, we should definitely take it!

Spike, like Javelin, is not cheap. One Spike NLOS rocket costs about $ 210,000. However, Estonia is one of the first, and in terms of GDP the first of donors of Ukraine . So, let’s wait for Spike. And we thank the “Sad Horse” for his help in convincing Israel. The fact that Ukraine could not prove to Jerusalem for 2 months, the Russian Foreign Minister did in two days. What a play!

Specifications
Weight:
Mass Spike-ER for helicopter – 187 kg (launcher + 4 missiles)
Spike-MR / LR – 26.8 kg (launcher, tripod, rocket, battery, thermal camera)
Spike-SR: – 9.6 kg (rocket in a tube)
Length:
Spike-MR / LR – 1200 mm
Spike-ER – 1670 mm
Diameter:
Spike-MR / LR – 130 mm
Spike-ER – 170 mm
Ready to launch – 30 seconds
Recharge – 15 seconds
Effective firing range:
Spike-SR – up to 1.5 km
Spike-MR – up to 2.5 km
Spike-LR – up to 4 km
Spike-LR II – within 5.5 km
Spike-ER – up to 8 km
Spike-ER II – up to 10 km
Spike-NLOS – 15 miles
Sights – 10x optical sight
Warhead – tandem-cumulative
Detonation – piezoelectric trigger
Engine – solid propellant rocket
Guidance – infrared homing, electro-optical or dual