Netfires - Tube Artillery - MLRS

**Firn** · 04-11-2010

Originally Posted by William F. Owen

Not sure about this. Spike pays out the cable, so it's never under tension in the way conventional wire guidance is. Using FOG you do not have to lock off the sensor. You just put the cross-hairs on what you want to hit. No thermal image is required. That is how Spike operators train to target hatches on the top of AFVs.
If the cable breaks without an operator cued lock off, the missile just continues on the last aim point. If the target image was locked, then it will guide.
There is a new 25km version of Spike

Such systems could be of use in mountain warfare especially it could be easily adopted to fire smaller and lighter version of the Spike range and be mounted easily on 4x4 trucks/jeep/bandvagns. A couple of NLOS and a load of ER/LR on a bandvagn would enhance the capabilities of the supported unit against armor, vehicles, heavy weapons and other important targets (maybe even helicopters, more likely in high altitudes) considerably. The bandvagn has been already outfitted with TOW and other systems, so it should be clearly duable.

Vehicles of that kind could form the tank-hunter company of the battalion and double as precision-guided NLOS support weapon. Large range, high accuracy and over-the-crest capability can be very important factors and greatly ease part of the supply problem. It is of course not in the least a substitute for a heavy mortar.

I will be interesting to see just how much the very longe range missiles cost.

Firn