Lockheed Martin, Rafael sign collaboration agreement
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Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. has signed a collaboration agreement with Lockheed Martin to co-promote of the Smart, Precise Impact and Cost-Effective missile guidance kits.
On 16 July companies have announced that Lockheed Martin and Rafael signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to evaluate potential markets and customer requirements for Rafael’s Smart, Precise Impact and Cost-Effective (SPICE
) missile guidance kits.
“SPICE is a leading air-to-surface weapon system offering U.S. and international air forces operating Lockheed Martin’s platforms, as well as strategic bomber aircraft, an important complement to their existing operational capabilities,” Yuval Miller, Executive Vice President, Head of Rafael’s Air & C4ISR Division. “SPICE’s unique features greatly enhance the U.S.’ ability to operate in contested environments. We are excited to engage in cooperation with Lockheed Martin to make SPICE available as a U.S.-made system, adapted to fully meet U.S. standards.”
SPICE is a family of stand-off, autonomous, air-to-surface weapon systems, capable of destroying targets with pinpoint accuracy and at high attack volumes in a GPS-denied environment. Combat-proven and in service with the Israeli Air Force and several international customers, SPICE employs a state-of-the-art electro-optical seeker with unique scene-matching algorithms, navigation guidance and homing techniques to achieve operational missions in adverse weather without GPS. The MOU covers the SPICE 1000 (453 kilogram / 1,000 pound weight class) and SPICE 2000 (907 kilogram / 2,000 pound weight class) precision guided missile kit variants.
“Lockheed Martin has a long history of successfully providing customers with missiles and missile systems that are affordable, proven and in production,” said Dan Norton, vice president of Strategy and Business Development at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “This partnership will allow us to share our precision guided system and aircraft integration expertise with allies that can benefit from the mission flexibility that the SPICE 1000 and SPICE 2000 offer.”