*Complex terms are explained at the end of the article for readers convenience.
SPICE 2000 is one of the most advanced guidance and manoeuvering kit in the world, manufactured by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems (Israel) (Not to be confused with the aircraft Rafale).
SPICE stands for Smart, Precise, Impact and Cost-effective.
Most people confuse Spice 2000 for a bomb. However, it is a guidance kit that can carry conventional unguided bombs and use them for precision-guided strikes.
The SPICE 2000 uses satellite guidance and electro-optical guidance.
It has a long glide range of 60 km and has 12 control surfaces which help to avoid surface-to-air defence systems. The SPICE 2000 can also be controlled via man-in-the-loop guidance wherein the WSO controls the bomb using its 12 control surfaces for extreme precision.
Operation of the SPICE 2000
An unguided bomb is fitted with a SPICE kit.
Then, the bomb is fitted with a memory chip containing images and coordinates of up to 100 targets. The SPICE 2000 uses algorithms to match the image of the target that was initially fed in it and aligns itself with the image.
If the bomb can not use this due to weather conditions etc., it switches to GPS navigation or INS. Another alternative is man-in-the-loop guidance system; the WSO can use the stick in the backseat to go man-in-the-loop and control the bomb for precision strike.
Variants of the SPICE guidance kits
SPICE 250 - It is a complete package wherein the bomb is already attached to the guidance system
SPICE 1000- It can a warhead of 450kg
SPICE 2000- It can carry a warhead of 950kg
SPICE kit employment
The Israeli Air Force, the Indian Air Force and the Greek Air Force currently use the Spice-2000 kit. It is compatible with F-15, F-16, Mirage 2000
The Indian Air Force used the Spice-2000 bomb kit in the 2019 Balakot Air Strike, successfully destroying terrorist camps inside Pakistan’s territory.
How SPICE 2000 avoids GPS jamming
The Spice-2000 has a scene-matching technology that can be employed in the case of GPS jamming. This special technology offers the weapon pinpoint accuracy.
Cost of the Spice 2000
The cost of the Spice 2000 kit is close to ₹3.5 crores.
Term breakdown-
INS- INS stands for Inertial Navigation System. It is a self-contained navigation system that has accelerometers, gyroscopes and sometimes magnetic sensors to calculate the position, orientation and velocity of a moving object with respect to an initial/fixed point without the need for external references.
Man-in-the-loop- It is a system in which the missile is remotely controlled by an operator.
WSO- WSO stands for Weapon Systems Officer. In two-seater aircraft, the WSO sits behind the pilot.
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