Fire-and-forget guided missile Spike MR's production to begin in Hyderabad soon

The Spike system is made up of the launching tripod with its fire control unit and the missile.

The third generation Israeli portable fire-and-forget guided missile, Spike MR, will soon be manufactured in Hyderabad. Once the manufacturing unit is fully set up, it will be able to produce 200 missiles a month.

The Indian Army had to choose between American 'Javelin' and Israel's 'Spike' for short range fire-and-forget missiles. Spike was chosen because Israel was willing to transfer technology and manufacture the missiles in India which gives a boost to government's 'Make in India' initiative.

The Spike system is made up of the launching tripod with its fire control unit and the missile. Spike can be operated from the launcher by infantry, or from mounts that can be fitted to vehicles such as fast attack vehicles, armoured personnel carriers or utility vehicles.

Spike MR will be manufactured by Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems (KRAS), which is a joint venture between India's Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd and Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. The state-of-the-art facility was unveiled at the Hardware Park in Hyderabad on Thursday.

The TOI quoted a KRAS official as saying that the entire infrastructure and machinery is ready, and once the government gives a green signal, the missiles will start rolling out within weeks.

Other versions of Spike missile:

Spike-SR - The short range version of the weapon was unveiled in 2012 and has a range of 1-1.5 kms.

Spike-MR - The medium range version which has a range of around 2.5 kms.

Spike-LR - The long range version which has a range of around 5 kms.

Spike-ER - The extended range or extra-long range version of the weapon which has a range 8 kms.

Spike NLOS - The ultra long range version of the weapon with a claimed maximum range of up to 25 km.

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