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Spike Firefly
Loitering munition From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Spike Firefly is a loitering munition built by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
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Design
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The Spike Firefly was developed to provide infantry forces with the capability to engage enemies behind cover during urban warfare; although it isn't an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) like the rest of the Spike missile family, it is considered part of it from using components developed for them. A battery powers two electric motors that drive two counter-rotating two-blade rotors allowing for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and hovering with minimal noise. The munition body consists of three sections: a sensor package that includes an uncooled thermal imager and EO day sensor with a proximity sensor that can track and pursue agile targets; the battery that delivers endurance of 15 minutes; and a payload section. The payload can be a 350 g omnidirectional blast fragmentation warhead in a strike mode or another battery doubling endurance to 30 minutes in a reconnaissance mode. It can operate autonomously flying via waypoints, or be controlled by an operator to search and attack targets beyond line of sight. The operator-in-the-loop function allows for a strike to be aborted if needed, and it can return to be reused.[1][2]
The Spike Firefly body section is 400 mm tall, 80 mm wide, and weighs 3 kg. Control range is 1,500 m in open terrain and 500 m in an urban setting. It can fly at 60 km/h (17 m/s), reach 70 km/h (19 m/s) when diving for an attack, and can operate in wind speeds up to 36 km/h. A Spike Firefly system contains three munitions held in tubes and a 1 kg control unit carried in a backpack by a single operator totaling 15 kg.[1][2]
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Operational history
Rafael unveiled the Spike Firefly in June 2018.[1][3] In May 2020, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced they were procuring the munition and calling it Maoz in IDF service.[4][5] It was first used in combat during the July 2023 Jenin incursion.[6][7] Following the October 7th attacks, the Spike Firefly was used in operations in the Gaza Strip during the Gaza War.[8]
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