Israel has long developed its own weapons, often to address lessons learned from operations such as the 1967 Six Day war, 1973 Yom Kippur war and 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Government-owned Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), Israel Military Industries (IMI) and Rafael produce weapons, while privately held Elbit's portfolio includes systems such as the Wizard laser-guided bomb kit.

Rafael has developed families of weapons, with the Python 5 the latest in a line of infrared-guided short-range weapons, while the Derby beyond visual range, active-radar guided air-to-air missile has links to the Python family. The Spike anti-armour family comprises four members from the 1km (2nm)-range SR to the 8km ER, which share common subsystems.

The company's latest weapon, Spice, has recently entered service with the Israeli air force. It is a kit to turn iron bombs into autonomous precision-guided weapons with ranges of 60km or more. The kit has technology derived from the 1,360kg (3,000lb) Popeye stand-off weapon, but is applicable to the lighter 900kg Mk84 warhead and the BLU-109 penetrator warhead. Rafael is also creating a version suitable for the 450kg Mk83.

A Rafael source says: "We have a programme to fit the system to the Mk83. It's a simple task and we'll have it ready within a year."

The forward element containing the electro-optical (EO) seeker and a combined inertial/GPS satellite navigation system will be unchanged. The rear element - comprising wings, moveable tail surfaces to steer the weapon and the power supply - will be modified to match the smaller Mk83 diameter. A senior programme official says all systems will be unaltered, as the existing line-replaceable units will fit the new profile. Another official adds that Spice technology used with lighter warheads would create a system similar to the US small diameter bomb programme.

Spice guides the bomb initially using inertial guidance before the wide-angle field of view (FoV) EO sensor takes over. The weapon uses scene matching to determine its target, which "means target location error is not an issue". During the target approach, the seeker compares its image with one loaded as part of mission planning. An official says a wide FoV seeker is used to give Spice an off-boresight capability. Once the weapon has been released it is autonomous. GPS is "only a back-up", says a source, adding that if the EO sensor fails, Spice has the accuracy of a JDAM-type GPS-guided weapon.

IMI and Rafael have a deal to develop smart weapons, but continue to compete on other levels. Shlomo Zytman, IMI aerial ammunition director, says the company also has small diameter bomb technologies, "but we haven't sold any". IMI also makes stand-off weapons, the Delilah and Light Defender, while the MSOV dispenser weapon glides up to 100km to its target. Despite the weapon's size and weight, 1,050kg and nearly 4m (13ft) long, the company says it is compatible with Lockheed Martin F-16 wing pylons.

The 2.7m-long Delilah has a range of over 400km carrying a 54kg payload. An IMI official says: "Delilah is relatively small, but is designed to cope with mobile, relocatable targets. We have many generations of Delilah and believe it is a unique weapon system, which for many years has been ahead of its time. But there is now a strong need for such capabilities." It also has a loitering capability.

The Light Defender is a version intended for a US Navy anti-ship missile programme. As it is intended for helicopters it is equipped with a booster motor for launch.

One of IMI's significant successes has been development of bomblets for cluster munitions that self-destruct, removing the problem associated with friendly troop casualties as they advance into previously attacked areas or civilian casualties after the conflict has finished.

Israel started development of the self-destructing bomblets following the 1982 intervention in Lebanon, says an IMI source. Conventional bomblets have around a 10% failure rate, while the IMI system has a 0.06% dud rate, he adds. For extra safety, the bomblets are designed not to explode if trodden on or kicked.

The company has produced 80 million bomblets for artillery rounds, the MLRS long-range artillery rocket and for cluster bombs. They have been exported extensively to European and other munitions manufacturers, says the IMI official. The US military is expected to begin trials with the system this year.

Python 5 uncoils

Just before the Paris air show in June, Rafael unveiled its latest Python infrared (IR)-guided, short-range air-to-air missile. By the time the company unveiled the weapon, it was operational, having been co-developed with the Israeli air force.

Rafael describes the Python 5 as a "fifth-generation" missile with a 360° capability. The biggest change from the Python 4 is a dual wavelength, focal-plane array, imaging seeker, which Rafael says is able to acquire low-signature targets in a look-down mode against adverse backgrounds and clouds. The fuselage is similar to the Python 4 with dual canards and rear fins, although the Python 5 probably has an improved motor.

The company says the missile's full sphere capability is achieved through lock-on-after-launch, enabling the missile to be used against rear hemisphere threats. It also incorporates an advanced computer architecture, inertial navigation system, IR counter-countermeasures and flight control algorithms.

With a 20km (11nm) range, Python 5 reaches Mach 4, which Rafael says has no effect on manoeuvrability.

Source: Flight International