New Delhi: The Indian Army has placed an order for Israeli Spike anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) from Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems Pvt Ltd (KRAS).
According to media reports, the contract, worth Rs 287 crore, was signed on August 27.
As per the report, the Rs 287 crore contract covers the delivery of an undisclosed quantity of Spike ATGMs to the Indian Army, confirmed by KRAS CEO Rudra B Jadeja.
KRAS is a joint venture (JV) established between Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd (KSSL), the defense subsidiary of Bharat Forge Ltd, and Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd (Rafael).
KSSL holds a majority stake of 51 per cent in the JV, with Rafael owning the remaining 49 per cent.
KRAS, in its press release, has stated that the order is expected to be fulfilled within the next 12 months.
Although Jadeja did not specify the particular version of the Spike ATGMs ordered, according to the report, it is likely the order includes the short-range Spike SR ATGMs.
Earlier, in July 2018, KRAS inaugurated a production facility for Spike SR ATGMs in Hyderabad.
According to the report, Spike missiles are fully assembled in India, with the exception of the explosives and propellants.
Spike is a family of ATGMs with various ranges and configurations, ranging from the Spike SR short-range man-portable missile to the helicopter-launched Spike non-line-of-sight (NLOS) missiles.
It is noteworthy that the Indian Army already operates a limited number of Spike LR ATGMs, which were first ordered in 2019. The order consists of 12 launchers and 250 Spike long-range (LR) missiles.
These Spike LR missiles can target enemy tanks, vehicles, and bunkers from distances exceeding 4 kilometre.
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