Defence
Indian Army Places Orders Worth Rs 287 Crore For More Israeli Spike 'Tank-Buster' ATGMs
Rafael's Spike LR missile.
The Indian Army has placed an order for an undisclosed number of Israeli Spike anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) from Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems Pvt Ltd (KRAS).
The contract, worth Rs 287 crore, was signed on 27 August.
KRAS is a joint venture (JV) established between Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd (KSSL), the defense subsidiary of Bharat Forge Ltd, and Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd (Rafael).
KSSL holds a majority stake of 51 per cent in the JV, with Rafael owning the remaining 49 per cent.
According to a report by Janes, the Rs 287 crore contract covers the delivery of an undisclosed quantity of Spike ATGMs to the Indian Army, confirmed by KRAS CEO Rudra B Jadeja.
KRAS, in its press release dated 28 August, has stated that the order is expected to be fulfilled within the next 12 months.
Although Jadeja did not specify the particular version of the Spike ATGMs ordered, according to the report, it is likely the order includes the short-range Spike SR ATGMs.
Earlier (in July 2018), KRAS inaugurated a production facility for Spike SR ATGMs in Hyderabad.
According to the report, Spike missiles are fully assembled in India, with the exception of the explosives and propellants.
Spike is a family of ATGMs with various ranges and configurations, ranging from the Spike SR short-range man-portable missile to the helicopter-launched Spike non-line-of-sight (NLOS) missiles.
It is noteworthy that the Indian Army already operates a limited number of Spike LR ATGMs, which were first ordered in 2019. The order consists of 12 launchers and 250 Spike long-range (LR) missiles.
These Spike LR missiles can target enemy tanks, vehicles, and bunkers from distances exceeding 4 kilometre.
A repeat order for these missiles was also placed in 2020, shortly after the deadly clashes between the Indian Army and Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers in the Galwan Valley.
In addition to Spike LR, the Indian Air Force also deploys Spike NLOS missiles from its Mi-17 V5 helicopters.
Spike NLOS missiles have a range of more than 50 kilometre when launched from helicopters.
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