Israeli Defence company RAFAEL has revealed that its world-famous and battle-tested SPYDER air defence system has been upgraded to include an advanced Counter-TBM (tactical ballistic missiles) capability.
RAFAEL’s Counter-TBM SPYDER programme, which involved researching and analysing the lessons learned from recent and ongoing armed conflicts involving extensive use of tactical ballistic missiles, is responsible for introducing this feature. The program’s goal was to improve RAFAEL’s ability to defend against threats posed by tactical ballistic missiles. The programme has resulted in a functional improvement to the SPYDER system, which is now ready for deployment. The initiative will enhance the capabilities of the SPYDER’s effectors in addition to the development of numerous Counter-TBM derivatives across the system. This is in response to urgent operational requirements from multiple existing customers located all over the world.
Brigadier General (Ret.) Pinhas Yungman, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Air and Missile Defense Systems Division, stated that RAFAEL is a world-leading expert in the field of missile defence, as evidenced by the company’s top-notch products, such as DAVID’S SLING and IRON DOME.” The SPYDER air defence system has recently been upgraded to include the potential to defend against tactical ballistic missiles. The toolbox of the SPYDER will provide users with the opportunity to select this vitally critical Counter-TBM capability. Within the framework of SPYDER’s customer-tailored solution paradigm, this capacity will be made available to the company’s customers who have respective urgent operating demands as a cost-effective alternative choice.
Spyder Air Defence System
Israeli businesses Rafael and Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) developed the SPYDER air defence system as part of a collaboration. Rafael claims SPYDER can guard large territories against threats such as drones, cruise missiles, attack aircraft, helicopters, and bombers, even at low altitudes.
The SPYDER systems integrate the most advanced, performance-proven air-to-air missiles: the PYTHON-5 dual waveband IIR missile, the I-DERBY active radar BVR, and the I-DERBY ER long-range missile. The missiles are also capable of air-to-air combat.
During the 2008 Georgian-South Ossetian conflict, the SPYDER-SR complex was employed in combat. Using the Spyder-SR air defence system, the Georgian air defence system shot down a Russian Su-24M front-line bomber from the 929th State Flight Test Center at 10:20 a.m. on August 9, 2008. (Akhtubinsk airfield). It was part of a group of three bombers whose mission was to neutralise Georgian artillery in the vicinity of Shindisi (between Gori and Tskhinvali). After making the initial call on the aircraft, two Python-4 missile launches were unsuccessful, but a third missile hit it. The impact produced a fire, and the crew escaped, but navigator Colonel Igor Rzhavitin’s parachute dome was broken by aircraft debris, resulting in his death.
