South Korea Deploys ‘Spike’ Missiles to Target North Korean Coastal Artillery

Since North Korea bombarded Yeonpyeong Island in 2010, the military authorities have introduced a weapon system to strike North Korea’s coastal artillery precisely. That weapon is the Israeli-made “Spike” missile, deployed since mid-2013. The North Korean coastal artillery bases hidden in the coastal trenches near the Yellow Sea are challenging to strike accurately with the K9 Thunder deployed on Baengnyeong Island and Yeonpyeong Island, hence introducing the Spike missile to supplement this.

Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems developed the Spike missile. As a Precision Strike Missile, it can strike while watching the target with a guided missile seeker, boasting the power to hit even small targets with the size of a window. When infantry fires it directly and when it is launched from vehicles or helicopters, thanks to an electro-optical guidance method using an infrared camera, it is possible to precisely strike North Korea’s coastal artillery hidden in the trenches.

The Spike missile, which operates in 10 countries, including Israel, has a range of 15.5 miles and weighs 154 lbs. One launch vehicle has four launchers, and 10 missiles can be loaded. However, simultaneous strikes are brutal because the missile must be guided directly while watching the video for precise striking.

Infrared camera-based electro-optical guidance method

The Spike missile also has the advantage of achieving optimal effects at a much lower cost than a precision strike using the Air Force’s fighters. According to the overseas military magazine Defense Update, the Spike missile was developed at approximately $226,900 per shot. In the United States, it is being pushed to be mounted on unmanned aircraft.

The Spike missile’s greatest strength is its ability to be launched through 45 different types of land, water, and air platforms. It operates in over 40 countries worldwide, including 19 European Union (EU) member countries and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The South Korean military had planned to introduce the Spike missile by the end of 2012. Still, the deployment schedule was postponed due to malfunctions revealed in the test evaluation conducted in Israel from October 2012 to January 2013. In the test evaluation conducted in March 2013, all three shots hit the target and were deployed in actual combat.

A Defense Acquisition Program Administration source said, “The Spike missile, as a guided weapon system, received high scores for its ability to destroy the origin of provocations such as North Korean cave bases and coastal artillery in case of emergency, and we decided to introduce it.” He added, “Our ability to respond to North Korea’s coastal artillery and long-range artillery threatening the West Sea islands and the Northern Limit Line (NLL) will greatly increase.”

The background to the introduction of the Spike missile was the need for anti-tank weapons raised after the wars that Israel fought shortly after its founding. Since its founding, Israel has faced three wars with surrounding Arab countries alone until the Third Arab-Israeli War (Six-Day War) in 1963, and it faced a new phase when it fought the Fourth Arab-Israeli War.

As soon as the war broke out, Syria, a neighboring tank power, pushed three divisions with a total of 800 tanks into the Golan Heights, and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) successfully defended. Still, the Barak Brigade defending the plateau suffered significant damage, with most of the company commanders killed.

At the same time, in the west, the Egyptian army pushed in, and the Israeli Defense Forces’ armored forces faced them. This time, the Egyptian military was cornered by the Russian-made “AT-3 Sagger” anti-tank guided missile, causing enormous damage. The Fourth Arab-Israeli War, also known as the “Yom Kippur War,” eventually resulted in an Israeli victory. It was still realizing the power of armored forces and anti-tank weapons led to the need for a new weapons system.

The original “Tamuz” was developed for infantry portability in 1997

In response, the Israeli Ministry of Defense commissioned Rafael to develop a new anti-tank missile. Rafael started development in 1981 and unveiled the first television-guided portable anti-tank missile, Tamuz, in 1997. The Tamuz, designed for a maximum range of 15.5 miles, was used in combat during the Second Intifada (the Palestinian struggle against Israel) from 2000 to 2005. It was also used in the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and the Gaza Winter War in 2008, proving its combat effectiveness.

Since then, the Tamuz missile has been renamed “Spike” for export and continues to this day. The first piece of the officially released Spike series in 2011 was named “Spike NLOS” (Non-Line of Sight).

As technology advanced, the Israeli Defense Forces developed the “Spike MR” (Medium Range) to replace the old “M47 Dragon” introduced by the United States. It was a lightweight and shorter-range version of the Spike NLOS, and the first live-fire test was conducted in 1992 and deployed in actual combat. The M47 Dragon is a Medium Anti-tank Weapon (MAW) produced by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing), commissioned by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps in 1964 to counter the threat of many Soviet tanks aimed at mainland Europe.

Next, the Spike LR (Long-Range), a lightweight version of the Spike NLOS, was developed and retained the existing television guidance method. In 2012, the Spike SR (Short-Range) was released, a disposable unguided rocket with the shortest range of 1.5km in the series. Recently, a 4th-generation Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) was released. The Spike series is a best-selling weapons system, with over 27,000 sold worldwide.

The Spike missile can be divided into four models. The Spike SR is a short-range version for infantry use. The Spike MR is a medium-range version that is also for infantry use. The Spike LR is a long-range version for both infantry and vehicle use. In 2017, the Spike LR II version was released, which was lighter and had improved range and penetration.

The AS-21 Redback infantry fighting vehicle developed by Hanwha Defense (now Hanwha Aerospace) also adopted the Spike LR II version. It operates with a guidance method that targets after launch (Lock On After Launch·LOAL) through an optical cable data link, increasing the reliability of precision strikes.

The Marine Corps Implements Vehicle-Mounted Operations in Baengnyeongdo and Yeonpyeongdo

The Spike ER is an Extended-range version that can be operated from all platforms, including infantry, vehicles, helicopters, and ships. It is currently the most widely used. For instance, it is used by the Finnish Navy as a coastal defense anti-ship missile. The Spike ER II, an upgraded version with an improved range, was unveiled in 2018.

Lastly, the Spike NLOS (Non Line Of Sight) version is designed for operation from vehicles, helicopters, and ships, excluding infantry. The Republic of Korea Marine Corps uses this vehicle-mounted version for precision strikes on North Korean coastal artillery in Baengnyeongdo and Yeonpyeongdo. The Navy also carries out surface strike missions mounted on the AW159 Wildcat helicopters.

In June 2022, the sixth-generation Spike NLOS was revealed, featuring extended range and performance improvements. When launched from the ground, it can reach targets up to 20 miles (32 kilometers) away, and from helicopters, it can strike targets up to 31 miles (50 kilometers) distant. It notably can fire and control up to four missiles simultaneously, a feature not present in previous Spike missile systems. Furthermore, it allows for the transfer of control to another platform after launch, enabling more flexible operations.

The Spike NLOS is the largest in the Spike anti-tank missile family and has the most extended range. It is equipped with infrared and electro-optical seekers, allowing the missile operator to send real-time video back to the launcher and ensure precision hits regardless of the time of day. Moreover, it supports a “Fire and Forget” method, enabling missiles to hit the target without control after launch.

A key advantage of the Spike NLOS is that it is equipped with a “Tandem” warhead, initially designed to penetrate tank armor. This warhead is capable of destroying coastal artillery with a single missile.

The Marine Corps and Navy primarily operate the Spike NLOS missile. The U.S. Army also equipped its AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters with the Spike NLOS. The Spike NLOS has been reported to be successful in accurately striking targets up to 20 miles (32 kilometers) away.