The missiles, manufactured by the Haifa-based Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., can be launched from about 45 different platforms on land, sea and air.
By Pesach Benson, TPS
Israeli and Greek defense officials signed a 1.44 billion shekel ($388 million) agreement to provide the Hellenic Armed Forces with sea, air and land Spike missiles, Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced on Monday.
The Spike (Tamuz) missiles manufactured by the Haifa-based Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. can be launched from about 45 different platforms on land, sea and air.
More than 40 countries around the world use the Spike missiles, of which 19 are European Union countries and NATO alliance countries. More than 34,000 missiles from the Spike family have already been delivered to various countries around the world and more than 6,000 of them have been fired, both as part of a training routine and in operational use in the field of battle.
Defense Minister Yoav Galant said, “The technological strength of the security system allows Israel political and economic achievements. The current deal, which joins a series of recently signed deals, testifies to the strong partnership between the countries and between the security systems and their commitment to work to ensure stability in the region.”
Director General of the Ministry of Defense, Major General (Ret.) Eyal Zamir called the agreement “another expression of the strategic partnership between the countries. It joins a series of billions of shekels collaborations that we have signed in recent years, the first of which is the upgrading of the capabilities of the Air Force’s flight school the Greek.”
In a related note, Armasuisse, Switzerland’s Federal Office for Defense Procurement, announced on Wednesday that it selected the Spike anti-tank missile system for the Swiss Armed Forces.