Israel’s Army awards contract to Rafael for FireFly loitering munition

Jointly developed by Rafael and the IMOD, FireFly weighs only 3 kg and provides Behind-Cover Precision Attack Capabilities for the Dismounted Soldier, according to Gabriel Alberto Bazzolo.

Ordered for the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) ground forces, FireFly, known in the IDF as “MAOZ”, was designed for fighting within the urban warfare.

Behind-Cover Tactical Precision FireFly tactical weapon system is a innovative miniature electro-optical tactical loitering munition designed for light maneuvering ground forces such as Infantry, Marines or Special Forces.

The FireFly weapon system kit includes 3 LMs (Loitering Munitions) and a CU (Control Unit) based on a ruggedized tablet with a military standard bidirectional data link.

Its was designed for the dismounted soldier fighting within the urban arena where situation awareness is limited, the enemy is behind cover, and precision is critical.

The impact of FireFly on the Infantry is revolutionary, fundamentally changing small Infantry tactics. FireFly – also known as Spike-FireFly – is a new variant of Rafael’s Spike Family Precision Guided Missiles.

As such, FireFly features a dual seeker, target tracker, homing algorithms, computer vision, Safe & Arm fusing mechanisms, and HMI (Human-Machine Interface).

These features served as a basis for the development of FireFly and the tailoring of the weapon system to its unique mission profile of urban combat.

The drone weighs only 3kg, is rapidly deployed, and enables the attack of Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) targets commonly found in urban combat.

The vehicle will essentially eliminate the value of cover and with it, the necessity of long-drawn-out firefights. It will also make obsolete the old infantry tactic of firing and maneuvering to eliminate an enemy hiding behind cover.

FireFly has an abort/wave-off capability and full, safe returnability to the operator up to attack command. It can be operated day and night, and has low visual and acoustic signature.