An H145M helicopter fires a Spike ER2 missile during a demonstration in Romania in January. (Airbus Helicopters)
Airbus Helicopters has test-fired the Rafael Spike Extended Range (ER) 2 air-to-surface missile from the H145M rotorcraft as part of the company's wider effort to expand the scope and capability of the HForce generic weapons system (GWS) package.
Speaking to Janes and other defence media in late May, Constance Pinsdorf, senior programme manager H145 governmental business, said that the Spike ER2 version of the Israeli-made missile was launched from the H145M for the first time in January, and integration into the HForce system will be completed later in 2022.
“We did an extension for the HForce system following feedback from the customer, and we were also aware that it was very important that we had a precise, intelligent weapon on board, and so we made the decision at the end of last year that we would go ahead with integration of the Spike system. The de-risking phase that has been ongoing from the beginning of the year until now has been successful, and there have been no vibration issues which means we can go on [with the integration],” Pinsdorf said.
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