Spike Firefly | |
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Type | Loitering munition |
Place of origin | ![]() |
Service history | |
In service | 2020-present |
Used by | Israeli Defense Forces |
Wars | Gaza War |
Production history | |
Designed | 2018 |
Manufacturer | Rafael Advanced Defense Systems |
Produced | 2018-present |
Specifications | |
Mass | 3 kg |
Width | 80 mm |
Height | 400 mm |
Warhead | 350 g |
Engine | Electric motor |
Operational range | 1,500 m (open terrain) 500 m (urban terrain) |
Maximum speed | 60 km/h (maneuvering) 70 km/h (diving) |
The Spike Firefly is a loitering munition built by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
The Spike Firefly was developed to provide infantry forces with the capability to engage enemies behind cover during urban warfare; although it isn't an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) like the rest of the Spike missile family, it is considered part of it from using components developed for them. A battery powers two electric motors that drive two counter-rotating two-blade rotors allowing for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and hovering with minimal noise. The munition body consists of three sections: a sensor package that includes an uncooled thermal imager and EO day sensor with a proximity sensor that can track and pursue agile targets; the battery that delivers endurance of 15 minutes; and a payload section. The payload can be a 350 g omnidirectional blast fragmentation warhead in a strike mode or another battery doubling endurance to 30 minutes in a reconnaissance mode. It can operate autonomously flying via waypoints, or be controlled by an operator to search and attack targets beyond line of sight. The operator-in-the-loop function allows for a strike to be aborted if needed, and it can return to be reused. [1] [2]
The Spike Firefly body section is 400 mm tall, 80 mm wide, and weighs 3 kg. Control range is 1,500 m in open terrain and 500 m in an urban setting. It can fly at 60 km/h (17 m/s), reach 70 km/h (19 m/s) when diving for an attack, and can operate in wind speeds up to 36 km/h. A Spike Firefly system contains three munitions held in tubes and a 1 kg control unit carried in a backpack by a single operator totaling 15 kg. [1] [2]
Rafael unveiled the Spike Firefly in June 2018. [1] [3] In May 2020, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced they were procuring the munition and calling it Maoz in IDF service. [4] [5] It was first used in combat during the July 2023 Jenin incursion. [6] [7] Following the October 7th attacks, the Spike Firefly was used in operations in the Gaza Strip during the Gaza War. [8]