(Hot news)
Israel on Thursday unveiled the sixth generation of its electro-optical Spike guided missile at the international weaponry industry trade fair Eurosatory in Paris. The new precision fire-and-forget missile was developed by Israel's state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and introduces several new enhanced capabilities, including the ability to fire up to four missiles at once from a single launcher controlled by a sole operator. In addition, the Spike missile is able to lock on enemy targets using advanced image-matching technology. Based on unique image processing technologies, this capability allows the missile to receive images mid-flight that will aid it in better locating and hitting its target with maximum accuracy while minimizing collateral damage. Another new feature allows control over the sixth-generation missile to be transferred between battlefield platforms mid-flight.
The sixth-generation missile also has an improved attack range, being able to hit targets 50 kilometers (31 miles) away when launched from a helicopter and targets at ranges up to 32 kilometers (19 miles) when launched from the ground.
