Rafael Sees Spike in Interest for Spyder Air Defence System

Arie Egozi - : Jan 24, 2025 - : 10:09 am

The use of the combat-proven Rafael Spyder air defence system in the ongoing war in Israel has created interest in the air defence system. The Israeli air defence forces have added the Rafael Spyder system to its multi layered air...

To read the full article, please log in or enter your email below:

The use of the combat-proven Rafael Spyder air defence system in the ongoing war in Israel has created interest in the air defence system.

The Israeli air defence forces have added the Rafael Spyder system to its multi layered air defence system protecting Israel from a variety of aerial threats. The addition of this system to the main pillars of the multi layered system- Iron Dome , David's Sling and Arrow - was made during the war to add another low layer of defence to deal with the major threat of low flying armed drones .

The Spyder is one of the Israeli company's bestselling systems with Romania, Greece, the Czech Republic, Morocco and Kenya as clients. The system has proved its capability to intercept UAV and missiles . Rafael has upgraded the system and it is now offered as the All in One version.

Brig. General (ret.) Zvika Haimovich is a former commander of the Israeli Air Defence Forces . He told GBP that specific parameters make the Spyder system very capable .
"The System in its new version is mobile and this is a big advantage in combat, affecting survivability and effectiveness," he said. He added that while the system is considered in the class of short range air defence systems (SHORAD), it is also effective in the medium range class and that gives it an advantage against a larger list of threats.

"Every mobile platform , carrying the launcher and the sensors, is actually an independent battery and this is very important in an area that has to deal with multiple threats,"
Haimovich said. He added that the price of the Spyder all in one version also contributes to its popularity. "When threats come in the form of multiple targets like swarms of armed drones, the price of the interceptors becomes a major consideration"

This capability to defeat armed drones, according to Rafael, is crucial, as armed UAVs and armed drones are being operated in big numbers in Ukraine, and now in Israel, to cause casualties.

The Spyder system, according to Rafael, has proved its capability against various airborne threats, including missiles, UAVs, aircraft, helicopters, and tactical ballistic missiles (TBM). The system intercepts threats using two families of Rafael manufactured air-air missiles, PYTHON 5 and Derby.

Recently, Rafael introduced a new configuration of the SPYDER - the All In One, featuring an integrated radar, electro-optical sensor, launcher, advanced control and command system, and the two missiles used for air defence. A Rafael official said that 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.

According to the Israeli company, the big interest in the Spyder All In One version stems from the understanding that there is an operational need to protect assets including long range air defence systems, "The armed drones swarms that have become very popular will also target major air defence systems. So there is a crucial need to protect them. The Spyder is a good solution," a company source said. The Rafael source added that the Spyder all in one is carried by a truck and is controlled with a hardened laptop in the trucks' cabin.

'"The combination of the AESA radar and our Top Lite optical sensor allows pin point intercepts," he said, The source added that the optical sensor enables shutting down the radar to prevent the enemy from targeting the air defence system.

Rafael-advanced-defense-systems / Spyder-air-defense-system /

MORE NEWS