The US Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) disclosed on 4 February that its Spike miniature precision guided missile (PGM) has successfully engaged small boat targets representing fast inshore attack craft (FIAC) threats.
Measuring 25 inches (63.5 cm) in length and weighing about 5.5 lb (2.5 kg), fire-and-forget Spike projectiles recorded direct hits against moving FIAC-type targets on the Point Mugu sea range in California, NAWCWD said.
Spike has been under development by NAWCWD for about 10 years, with the US Marine Corps and US Navy special forces among its early supporters. The programme was originally intended to provide a lightweight shoulder-fired weapon for use against soft and lightly-armoured targets at ranges up to 3.2 km. More than 10 successful, full-scale guided missile tests have now been completed, according to an NAWCWD release published by its parent organisation, the Naval Air Systems Command. About 26 advanced development all-up test missiles have been built and trialled.
Testing of Spike against FIAC-type targets had not previously been reported. Officials believe that Spike (which is unrelated to the similarly named missile family developed by Israeli company Rafael) could serve as a 'gap-filler' in a naval layered defence against FIAC swarms, defeating intruders that penetrate the outer rings of a warship's defensive perimeter.
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1 comment:
Where else can you get budget for 10 years to develop a weapon that had no DoD requirement. Must be nice to have a sandbox funded like that.
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