Tel Aviv: Israeli sources expect some significant agreements that will equip the Greek armed forces with Israeli defence systems as a result of the two countries’ strong military collaboration.
In February, the Israeli Defence Forces released a statement announcing the conclusion of a joint exercise with Greek and American infantry forces in Greece. The IDF Oz Brigade, also known as the commando brigade, and the reconnaissance unit of the Nahal Brigade participated in the multi-day exercise with their American and Greek counterparts.
Last month, a joint military exercise involving dozens of fighter jets and air support aircraft was completed by the Israeli and Greek air forces. During the drill, dozens of aircraft flew for several hours from Israel, deep into Greece, before heading back, according to Israeli defence forces.
The two joint exercises allowed the Greek defence forces to see some of the Israeli defence systems is action.
According to the Greek website ekathimerini.com, the Greek Government Council for Foreign and Defence Affairs (KYSEA), recently approved the acquisition of some Israeli made systems. The acquisition will include some types of Rafael Spice air launched bombs, reported the website.
Spice is a family of stand-off, autonomous, air-to-surface weapon systems that provide affordable precision in a GPS-denied environment. The combat-proven SPICE family of products includes two guidance kits, SPICE 1000 and SPICE 2000, as well as an all-up round, known as SPICE 250
In earlier years , before the Spice -250 has become operational with the Israeli air force, only the Spice 1000 and Spice 2000 (iron bombs with a guidance kit) have been used in airstrikes. SPICE-250 has a standoff range of 62 miles, and can be equipped with either general purpose or penetration 75kg class warhead.
According to Rafael, the Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) is only one of the SPICE-250’s array of technologies which includes Automatic Target Acquisition (ATA) and Moving-Target- Detection homing modes, all of which are based on autonomous electro-optic Scene-Matching Algorithms.
The ATR feature is a technological breakthrough, enabling SPICE-250 to effectively learn the specific target characteristics ahead of the strike, using advanced AI and deep-learning technologies.
During flight, the pilot selects the target type to be attacked and allocates a target to each weapon. The weapons are launched towards the vicinity of the targets, using their INS for initial navigation. When approaching the target area, the weapons use the ATR mode for detection and recognition of the targets. Each weapon homes in on the pre-defined target, either autonomously or with a human-in-the-loop, aided by the ATR algorithm.
According to the company, the combination of the increased load out of SPICE-250, the unique homing methods for various scenarios, and the effective 75 kg warhead, enables a high volume, autonomous and precise strike capability against multiple target types, with an assured very low collateral damage.
SPICE-250 uses a common aircraft interface and sophisticated Smart Quad Rack (SQR) which simplifies the effort needed for aircraft integration. Four SPICE-250 weapons are carried on each SQR. SPICE-250 can be directly mounted on light attack aircraft store stations, thanks to its small size and lightweight.
According to the Greek website, Greece also plans to acquire the Rampage, an air-to-surface weapon developed jointly by Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The Rampage offers a unique combination of the knowhow, the technological assets and the cumulative experience of both companies.
Developed in response to a clear operational need of the future battlefield as “Stand – Off”” namely munition dropped from outside the area protected by air defence missiles. According to the companies, the Rampage warhead, rocket and advanced navigation suit allow execution of the assault mission of high quality, well-protected targets with utmost precision.
The Rampage features optimal penetration capability into protected areas. Its focal precision prevents collateral damage at a very low mission cost compared with existing solutions. The Rampage can operate in any weather conditions, as well as day and night. It offers simplified operation, with no need for a “man in the loop” and can be carried on a broad range of aircraft, manufactured by western or eastern countries. The total weight of the missile is 570 kg and is 4.7 meters long.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
