Tel Aviv: Rafael Australia is participating in the AVALON 2023 Australian International Air Show (February 28 – March 5). Rafael is showcasing an array of defence solutions and capabilities, with a particular focus on air defence systems. Among the systems being showcased at the air show is the showstopper IRON BEAM — the High Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS) — which is being presented in Australia for the first time.
Rafael delivers state-of-the-art defence innovations to Australia through Varley Rafael Australia (VRA) — a joint venture between The Varley Group, Australia’s oldest defence enterprise, and Rafael Advanced Defence Systems. This joint venture supports regional supply chains through in-country Australian production and assembly while simultaneously bolstering the local economy through job creation. Rafael’s local manufacturing portfolio is highlighted by the production of SPIKE Missiles which can be integrated on helicopters and platforms on all domains.
Over the past 70 years, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems’ Integrated Air and Missile Defence Systems Division (IAM&DS) has earned a reputation as a world leader in developing, manufacturing, and delivering advanced, innovative, and combat-proven air defensive solutions. Rafael is consistently meeting the challenges of an ever-changing threat landscape, designing systems that successfully tackle emerging threats while also defending critical infrastructure, strategic sites, manoeuvring forces, and population centres. Rafael’s portfolio boasts numerous systems that ensure air superiority, not least of which is the LITENING targeting pod, which is the most commonly used targeting pod in the world, it is also in use within Australia’s defence services.
Additional systems showcased include the world-renowned IRON DOME aerial defence system, as well as C-DOME — the naval configuration of the Iron Dome. Likewise, Rafael’s multi-mission interceptor STUNNER will be showcased alongside SPICE 250 autonomous missiles and SPIKE NLOS for Helicopters.
Rafael Australia is committed to continue supporting local industry and strengthening by working with Australian partners to ensure security of supply and contribute to the local economy. Rafael’s systems are being showcased at booth No. K291.
System in focus:
STUNNER: A lethal hit-to-kill air defence interceptor countering long-range artillery rockets (LRAR), cruise missiles (CM), short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM), and traditional air defence threats. Designed for “plug and play” insertion into fielded air and missile defence systems, Stunner is easily integrated into a variety of engagement scenarios. As part of Rafael’s David’s Sling Weapon System, Stunner provides optimum homeland protection and forward deployed forces.
IRON DOME: With over 4,000 combat interceptions and a success rate of 90%, Iron Dome’s success speaks for itself. The IRON DOME missile defence system is the world’s only multi-mission system that provides a combat-proven defence against aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, PGMs, cruise missiles, and C-RAM threats. As a highly mobile, dual mission system, IRON DOME protects against incoming threats launched from up to 70 kilometres, for land and sea. Since its first successful operation interception in April 2011, Rafael’s IRON DOME has proven itself as one of the most ground-breaking air defence systems of the modern age. More
than ten years later, it remains the world’s only combat-proven multi-mission system capable of defeating precision guided munitions (PGMs), cruise missiles, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as well as VSHORAD rocket, artillery, and mortar (C-RAM) threats, on land and at sea, 24/7, and in all weather conditions. Also known as SKY HUNTER, the ground-based IRON DOME detects and assesses incoming threats for the most effective and efficient interception.
C-DOME: Rafael’s C-DOME is the naval adaptation of the renowned, combat-proven IRON DOME, which, to-date, has achieved over 4000 combat interceptions. Operational with the Israeli Navy, C-DOME is designed to protect strategic naval and land assets against advanced aerial, ballistic and surface-to-surface threats.
IRON BEAM: Rafael’s IRON BEAM provides Israel with a capability unlike one seen elsewhere in the world by successfully developing a high-power laser technology at an operational standard with operational interception capabilities.
SPICE 250: The SPICE family of stand-off, autonomous, air-to-surface munitions provide pinpoint accuracy at high attack volumes, independent of GPS navigation, based on autonomous electro-optic scene matching artificial intelligence algorithms. Operational and combat proven in the Israel Air Force and others around the globe, the SPICE family currently consists of the SPICE 250, SPICE 1000, and SPICE 2000 variants.
SPIKE NLOS for Helicopters: With SPIKE helicopter upgrades, combat helicopters become powerful force multipliers with extended stand-off ranges, increased lethality, and mission endurance. SPIKE missiles are integrated on dozens of attack helicopters worldwide, including the Black Hawk, Apache, Longbow, Cobra, Puma, Tiger and AW-159. The full armament upgrade suite – which includes SPIKE missile launchers, EO sights, Global Link SDR for voice/data communications, and more – can convert a dozen multirole helicopters into ultra-smart, modern gunships at the cost of two new combat helicopters.
