The IDF presented to the general public a weapon, the existence of which was kept secret for many years, and should have come as a surprise to the Arab armies in case of war.
The Spike NLOS guided anti-tank missile manufactured by the RAPHAEL concern is the latest offspring in a large family of Spike missiles in service with many countries around the world, including Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey.
However, unlike its predecessors, the Spike NLOS (Non Line Of Sight), created a few years ago, was not exhibited at the arms dealerships and for a long time was not even introduced into the IDF's arsenal. The Israel Defense Forces press service first confirmed the presence of this type of weapon a week ago, announcing that the RAFAEL concern will present Spike NLOS at the ASH 2010 forum.
The Maariv newspaper reports today that the existence of this anti-tank missile has long been a secret for the United States as well. The Americans found out about him only thanks to satellite footage. In the IDF, only a few officers knew about the secret weapon called "Tamuz".
It was first tested in combat conditions in 2006 during the Second Lebanon War, when Tamuzov operators tried to destroy Hezbollah militant groups with missiles. Later, it was decided to place the Tamuz crews on the border with the Gaza Strip.
On the international market, the first reports of a new missile appeared only at the end of 2009, at an arms exhibition in Singapore. Later, specialized publications reported some details about the missile, but no information was published that it was in service with the IDF.
According to "Maariva", the decision to remove the secrecy stamp from "Tamuz" was made in connection with the creation of more modern systems and in order to interest the recruits.
Anti-tank missile Spike NLOS ("Tamuz"). Tactical and technical data
Spike NLOS is a multipurpose multi-platform electro-optical rocket system. NLOS stands for Non Line Of Sight. The system can be installed on land, air and sea platforms at no extra cost.
The effective range of the missile is 25 kilometers. The weight of the rocket in the package is 71 kilograms. The rocket is light and cheap to maintain and operate.
The missiles can be supplied with different versions of warheads - cumulative, fragmentation, intelligent multifunctional (PBF and PBF / F). It can be guided using a satellite or UAV, has its own target locking system and remote control.
