"We're doing minimum changes to the vehicle," Roman Palaria, Rafael’s vice president for marketing and business development in its land and naval division, told TWZ at the Association of the U.S. Army convention.
Rafael USA and Leonardo DRS deliver a Spike‑to‑TOW adapter
Rafael USA and Leonardo DRS presented an adapter that allows vehicles equipped with legacy Tube‑launched, Optically tracked, Wire‑guided (TOW) launchers to fire Rafael’s Spike LR2 anti‑armor missile. The work builds on an earlier demonstration at Project Convergence 2021 and reflects further development by Leonardo DRS to produce a more mature mechanical and electrical interface for the missile and the vehicle’s systems.
How the adapter integrates with existing TOW launchers
The adapter provides the mechanical interface to load a Spike LR2 into a launcher originally built for TOW missiles, plus the electrical connections needed to communicate with the host vehicle. Additional electronic components are installed inside the vehicle to support the missile’s functions. The approach is intended to avoid replacing the launcher or radically overhauling the vehicle’s gunner station; after a missile is fired the launch tube remains in the launcher and can be removed to accommodate another missile. Rafael and Leonardo DRS present the design as a way to preserve a vehicle’s TOW capability while adding Spike LR2 as an option.
Audit-ready is a season. It shouldn't be.
Evidence in spreadsheets, controls drifting between audits, frameworks multiplying on flat headcount. Nubivance runs continuous compliance on Rapid7 Cyber GRC - SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO 27001, PCI, CMMC.
End the scrambleSpike LR2 capabilities compared with legacy TOW
Rafael cites a maximum range for Spike LR2 of approximately 5.5 kilometers (3.4 miles) and highlights an onboard day/night imaging seeker that provides video to the operator during flight. That imaging feed supports engagements beyond the operator’s direct line of sight and allows the operator, depending on the engagement, to acquire the target through the missile’s seeker, adjust the engagement, or select a different target while the missile is in flight. By contrast, traditional TOW guidance uses semi‑automatic command to line‑of‑sight (SACLOS), where the gunner must track the target through the launcher’s observation system and guide the missile throughout flight.
Palaria described two warhead options for the LR2: a tandem‑charge anti‑tank warhead and a multi‑purpose configuration with a programmable fuze. Rafael claims the tandem warhead is able to penetrate any modern main battle tank; the multi‑purpose option can be set for direct‑impact or timed‑detonation effects—for example detonating above the ground for anti‑personnel effects or using a precursor charge to breach a wall and a second charge to explode inside a building after a short delay.
Potential platforms: Bradley, MPML, CCMS‑H and XM30
The Bradley infantry fighting vehicle is a prominent potential application but the companies said the capability could extend to other platforms that use TOW launchers. The Army has operated TOW‑equipped vehicles for decades, creating a substantial installed base of launch systems that the adapter could leverage. A tweet included in the reporting noted that Spike LR2 was successfully test‑fired from an M2A4 Bradley equipped with a Multi‑Purpose Missile Launcher (MPML) developed by Rafael and DRS, and added that adapters allow the system to remain compatible with existing TML/UTML launchers; the same tweet said Spike LR2 has been proposed for the CCMS‑H and XM30.
What this means for the U.S. Army, foreign customers, and vehicle crews
- The U.S. Army: The adapter offers a route to add a missile with longer range, onboard imaging and beyond‑line‑of‑sight engagement options without wholesale replacement of launcher hardware. Whether the capability is fielded will depend on Army requirements, testing, integration decisions, and procurement plans.
- Foreign customers and other services: With the Spike series widely adopted globally and a large installed base of TOW operators, the adapter could appeal to customers outside the U.S. Army seeking to upgrade missile capability while keeping existing launcher systems.
- Vehicle crews and trainers: Operators would continue to use the vehicle’s existing console and displays, but Palaria acknowledged that Spike LR2 introduces additional functions, controls, and engagement procedures—meaning operator training and qualification will be necessary, and the extent to which vehicles can employ both missile types will depend on completed integration and qualification requirements.
The adapter concept aims to put new missile options into old launchers: retain the familiar hardware and crew interface while adding a missile whose imaging seeker and engagement flexibility differ markedly from legacy TOW operation. Whether that compromise — limited vehicle change for expanded capability — moves from demonstration to fielded upgrade will be decided by formal testing, integration work and procurement choices.
