Israeli defense contractor Rafael has entered into an agreement with Polish company Mesko for the joint production of Spike short-range missiles as part of Poland’s Pustelnik anti-tank weapon program, should the Spike solution be selected.
Led by the Polish MOD Armament Inspectorate, the Pustelnik program is aimed at choosing an anti-tank weapon for Poland’s Territorial Defense Forces (WOT).
Spike missile components would be produced in Poland, making Mesko part of the Spike SR global supply chain.
The Spike SR is shoulder-launched fire & forget missile, for ranges exceeding 2,000 meters. The long range variant that has been in use by the Polish defense forces for some 15 years now, with local production of the missile parts and final assembly taking place in Poland by Mesko since 2003. This provides the infrastructure for the future Polish production of the Spike SR missile, Rafael said.
The company is also offering another version of the missile, Spike NLOS, for Poland’s Ottokar-Brzoza tank destroyer program.
“A future decision to equip the Polish Army with the SPIKE SR offers not only an operational advantage, exceeding the specification requirements of the Pustelnik program, but also an economic benefit to the local economy, as it further deepens industrial cooperation between Mesko and Rafael, making Mesko part of the SPIKE SR global supply chain, as components of the missile will be produced in Poland, not only for the local market, but also for export customers,” Gal Papier, director of marketing & business development at Rafael, said.
The Pustelnik program is still in the evaluation phase with another potential candidate being the laser-guided Pirat ATGM, which is developed by Telesystem-Mesko.
