Air Defense: Spyder Gets Tracks

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March 19, 2016: The Israeli manufacturer of the Spyder (Surface-to-air PYthon and DERby) mobile anti-aircraft system is now offering an even more mobile version that uses tracked vehicles instead of wheeled ones. The tracked vehicle carries four missiles, the radar and fire control system. Spyder has been around since 2005. Spyder is still available in the original, truck mounted version where one or more trucks carried a launcher with four missiles and another truck carried the radar and fire control system.

Spyder launchers can carry either the Python 5 heat seeking missile (3.2 meters/ten feet long, 105 kg/231 pounds, with a range of 15 kilometers) or the Derby radar guided missile (3.6 meter/11.2 feet long, 121.4 kg/267 pounds, with a range of 30 kilometers). The Derby is actually a larger Python, with more fuel and a radar controlled guidance system. Python has an 11 kg (23 pound) warhead while the one on Derby is 23 kg (51 pound). The Spyder radar system has a maximum range of 100 kilometers. The missiles can hit targets as high as 9,000 meters (28,000 feet) and as low as 20 meters (63 feet).

Spyder has been sold to four export customers as well as the Israeli military. There were unconfirmed reports that Georgia used Spyder in combat during 2008 when the Russians invaded. Peru has ordered Spyder but has not received it yet.

 

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