Rafael successfully tests SPYDER All-In-One missile defence system
Rafael’s SPYDER AIO has completed a test firing. (Photo: Rafael)
Rafael and the Israeli MoD Directorate of Defense Research and Development have successfully completed testing of the SPYDER AIO air defence system which operates both Python and Derby surface-to-air missiles.
The test involved included the interception of a UAV and scored a direct and effective hit, according to a company statement.
Brig. Gen. (Res.) Pini Yungman, executive vice-president and head of Rafael Air Defense Division, said it ‘represented another technological breakthrough’.
‘The success of the test is a significant milestone in developing the system against different threats and demonstrates the system’s effectiveness in intercepting challenging ground-launched threats,’ Yungman remarked.
SPYDER AIO features an integrated radar, electro-optical launcher, advanced control and command system, and Python and Derby interceptors, all mounted on a single platform. This configuration serves as an optimal air defence solution for point defence or area defence, either as part of a SPYDER battery or deployed independently with minimal operator involvement.
The system was unveiled at the Singapore Airshow in February 2022. The radar sensor on the SPYDER-AIO ER model exhibited had four square antennas placed together around a Toplite EO/IR sensor on a mast.
SPYDER Medium-Range (MR) and SPYDER Short-Range (SR) systems have already been in action in Asia, the former with the Philippine Air Force and Vietnam, while the latter have seen use in India and Singapore.
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