Spice 250 is a next-generation air-to-surface precision-guided munition manufactured by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, an Israel-based defence technology company.
The weapon belongs to the stand-off, autonomous Spice glide missile family, which includes the Spice 250, Spice 1000, and Spice 2000.
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The combat-proven Spice 250 can hit a range of stationary, relocatable, and moving targets, both on land and at sea, even in a global positioning system (GPS) denied environment. It has been operational with the Israeli Air Force and several other nations worldwide since 2003.
In June 2019, Rafael integrated Spice 250 bombs with AI and automatic target recognition (ATR), which can be used with scene-matching technology.
The Spice 250 Extended Range (ER), the latest variant in the Spice family, was unveiled in February 2021. Rafael aims to offer the Spice 250 ER variant to the Indian Air Force (IAF).
In June 2023, Rafael partnered with weapon manufacturer Diehl Defence and sensor technologies developer Hensoldt to deliver state-of-the-art capabilities to the German Air Force. The partnership focuses on the Eurofighter EK programme, which aims to replace the Tornado Eloka electronic warfare systems in the German Air Force. The system will feature the Spice 250 ER.
Design and features of Spice 250 weapon
The small, lightweight Spice 250 weapon can be integrated into both single and dual-seater fighter aircraft using a common aircraft interface and a smart quad rack (SQR), which simplifies the weapon’s integration into the aircraft.
The Spice 250 weapon offers a stand-off range of 100km and a stated circular error probable (CEP) of less than 3m.
Each SQR can carry up to four Spice 250 weapons. The Spice 250 can also be directly mounted on light attack aircraft store stations.
The distinct features of the system include autonomous capability, tactical flexibility in trajectory, low collateral damage, simple mission planning, and low lifecycle cost. It can be operated during both day and night, in all weather conditions.
The combination of increased load-out of Spice 250 variants, along with extended range, provides high volume, autonomous, and precision striking capability against multiple target types.
Warhead and guidance capabilities of Spice 250
The Spice 250 guided munition can be fitted with either a general-purpose blast fragmentation or a penetration warhead of the 75kg class. The warhead is activated by a pre-set or cockpit-selectable proximity fuse.
Guidance for the weapon system is provided by an enhanced electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) guidance package. The mid-course inertial navigation system (INS) / GPS guidance system provides precise mid-course navigation to enhance target acquisition.
The weapon is also equipped with a two-way datalink, which enables communication with the launch platform.
Operation mechanism of Spice 250
The mission for each weapon is allocated by the pilot before launch. A never-miss operational scenario mission plan for each target is created using target data.
The system can autonomously perform mid-course navigation using INS/GPS upon launch. As the weapon approaches the target, its unique scene-matching algorithm compares the electro-optical image with mission reference data stored in its computer memory.
Spice 250 ER variant details
The Spice 250 ER variant is based on the Spice 250, the smallest weapon in the Spice family. It is equipped with a miniature turbo-jet engine and an internal JP-8/10 fuel system, providing a range of 150km.
The extended range variant will retain all the capabilities of the Spice 250 gliding variant, including ATR, automatic target acquisition (ATA), and moving-target-detection homing modes.
The ATR feature enables the weapon to learn the specific target characteristics even before striking, using advanced AI and deep-learning technologies. This capability also helps overcome GPS jamming, navigation issues, and target location errors during engagements with fixed targets.
Spice 250 precision-guided munition orders
Lockheed Martin and Rafael inked a teaming agreement in May 2019 for the development, marketing and manufacturing of Spice guidance kits for the US Armed Forces. The agreement includes the Spice 1000 and Spice 2000 kit variants.
In November 2021, Rafael and Lockheed Martin signed an agreement to market, manufacture, and support the adoption of the Spice 250 weapon system by the US military and Polish forces.
Details of other variants in the Spice weapons family
The Spice family of stand-off, autonomous air-to-ground weapon systems can operate without depending on GPS navigation and can attack targets with pinpoint accuracy and at high attack volumes.
Spice systems are engineered to transform conventional 1,000lb (453.5kg) and 2,000lb (907.1kg) warheads into highly precise, stand-off strike munitions. These systems are equipped with an electro-optical (E/O) seeker, scene-matching algorithms, and state-of-the-art navigation, guidance, and homing technologies.
The operational range for the Spice 1000 is approximately 125km while the Spice 2000 can engage targets up to 60km away.
