Rafael’s American arm introduces a new missile that combines speed and precision with loitering capabilities for contested environments.
Washington, D.C. – Rafael USA, the American arm of Israeli defense firm Rafael, has announced the latest addition to its Spike family of missiles: the L-Spike 4X Launched Effect, a high-speed, rocket-powered loitering munition.
Combining Missile Speed with Loitering Capabilities
The new munition can be fired from Spike NLOS launchers, similar to traditional Spike missiles, but it adds the ability to loiter over a target before striking. According to the company, the L-Spike 4X combines „high-speed transit, seeker precision and mission persistence for contested operational environments.”
New dimension
Yoav Tourgeman, CEO and president of Rafael, said that „with L-SPIKE 4X we bring Spike’s missile pedigree into a new dimension — combining the speed and precision of a missile with the persistence of a Launched Effect.”
Design
The L-Spike 4X resembles a missile with an optic in the nose and a cruciform wing design, featuring four wings in the front and four in the rear. This design shares commonalities with other loitering munitions and the Spike NLOS, although it is a distinct type of munition with a different body and forward section.
Up to 40km
Designed for engagements at ranges of up to 40 km (approximately 25 miles), the L-Spike 4X is a missile with built-in loitering capabilities rather than an unmanned aerial system with a retrofitted warhead. Rafael USA will offer the weapon in two primary warhead configurations: Tandem HEAT and Multi-Purpose.
High Speed
The missile can reach its 40km range in five minutes, which Rafael says is faster than most electric loitering effects. It can also loiter over its target for up to 25 minutes.
Contested Environments
„The system is designed for operation in contested electromagnetic environments and GPS-denied environments and includes hardened communications to sustain control under interference,” the company stated. The ability to operate in GPS-denied environments and resist jamming is an increasingly important feature for drones and loitering munitions.
US Army Testing
The US Army has been testing launched effects over the past several years, launching them from platforms like Black Hawks and ground-based systems. The US military is expanding its procurement of various types of drones, loitering munitions, and launched effects as it seeks to enhance its unmanned capabilities.
Global use
Rafael’s Spike family of missiles is used by up to 45 countries, primarily for anti-tank and similar applications.
Firefly
Rafael also produces the Spike Firefly, a tactical loitering munition used by the IDF. Unlike the new missile, the Firefly is a small munition that hovers using blades, similar to a helicopter.
