Lockheed Martin’s Apache Echo Model V6 Achieves Impressive Results in Successful Spike NLOS Testing

Successful Spike NLOS Testing by Lockheed Martin’s Apache Echo Model V6 Yields іmргeѕѕіⱱe Results

The precision strike team achieved a milestone during a successful test, firing two Spike NLOS All-Up Rounds (AURs) from the Apache Echo Model V6 on January 26, 2023, at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.

Apache Echo Model V6 journey

This live-fire event served as confirmation of the seamless integration of the Spike NLOS Long Range Precision Munitions Directed Requirement (LRPM DR) system onto the Apache platform, setting the stage for upcoming qualification testing.

The demonstration involved the launch of two Spike NLOS AURs from an Apache platform, engaging a stationary target in two distinct scenarios.

Following this successful test, the Spike NLOS system is slated to undergo rigorous testing to obtain airworthiness release (AWR).

Upon receiving AWR, the system is earmarked for deployment on the U.S. Army’s Apache Echo Model V6 platforms by September 2024.

Tom Bargnesi, program management senior manager of the precision strike team at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, highlighted the achievement, stating, “

The successful integration of Spike NLOS on the Apache platform demonstrates Lockheed Martin’s continued commitment to 21st-century security solutions that assist our customers in completing their missions.

The system’s expansion onto additional platforms, coupled with its mission-focused defense capabilities, ensures it will help the U.S. Army stay ahead and ready in an ever-evolving threat environment.”

Spike, developed by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, stands as a versatile fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile and anti-personnel missile in its fourth generation.

Arising from lessons learned in the Yom Kippur War, it addresses the need for a high-precision guided tactical ground-to-ground battlefield missile.

Available in man-portable, vehicle-launched, and helicopter-launched variants, Spike’s “Non-Line Of Sight” version boasts an ultra-long range of up to 25 kilometers (16 miles), deployable from both ground and helicopter platforms.

The SPIKE NLOS missile aligns with the army’s third modernization priority, supporting Future Vertical Lift’s signature effort, the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA). This ecosystem includes the Long Range Precision Munition and Air-launched Effects.

In a recent experiment, the AH-64E served as the surrogate FARA, SPIKE NLOS as the surrogate LRPM, and Area-I’s ALTIUS 600 UAS as the surrogate ALE. This showcase demonstrated the reach, range, and lethality of both the Apache with SPIKE and the future FARA with LRPM.

in Apache Echo Model V6, the SPIKE NLOS missile could offer an interim solution surpassing the range of currently fielded systems, pending the army’s decision to procure this advanced missile technology.