Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems signed a teaming agreement Thursday to jointly develop, market, manufacture and support Rafael’s Smart, Precise Impact and Cost-Effective (SPICE) guidance kits for the U.S. market.
The agreement covers the “SPICE’s 1000” and “SPICE 2000” variants, according to a Lockheed Martin press release. The family of stand-off, autonomous, air-to-surface weapons allow for precision in a GPS-denied environment, have been in use since 2003, and are in service with the Israeli Air Force and several other nations worldwide.
“Finalizing this exclusive agreement sets the scene for our two companies to provide unmatched mid-range guided air-to-surface weapon systems to enhance mission flexibility and success,” said Yuval Miller, executive vice president and general manager of Rafael’s Air & C4ISR Division in the press release.
The Spice 1000 is an add-on kit for 1000-lb warheads such as the MK-83, MPR1000, BLU-110, RAP-1000 and others.
The Spice 2000 is an add-on kit for 2000-lb warheads such as the MK-84, BLU-109, RAP-2000 and others.
About 60 percent of the SPICE kits are already produced in the United States in eight states, the companies said. The kits can be used from single and dual-seater fighter aircraft including the Boeing [BA]-made F-15 and F/A-18 fighter aircraft, Lockheed Martin’s F-16, along with European fighters including Tornado, Mirage, Rafale, Eurofighter and Gripen.
“SPICE offers the U.S. Department of Defense and many allies a capability that no other weapon currently in inventory provides,” said John Varley, vice president at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in the release. “By applying our expertise in aircraft integration, mission planning and tailkit design, along with our experience in affordable streamlined production, we will adapt SPICE to meet U.S. standards so bomber and fighter aircraft can benefit from the added mission flexibility that SPICE offers.”
