16 November 2023
PN AW159 Wildcat anti-submarine helicopter (photo : Pilipinas Defense)
During the Philippine Navy Naval Air Wing's anniversary, the AW159 Wildcat naval helicopter was shown with the Rafael Spike datalink antenna and launch pylons installed to support Spike NLOS missile operations.This could mean that the PN NAW may already have the Spike NLOS in their inventory.
Wildcat firing Spike NLOS missile (photo : Rafael)
The Philippine Navy's AW159 Wildcat was procured with the integration of Spike NLOS in mind as a limited air-to-ground light anti-ship missile with a 50 km range.
The use of Spike NLOS is similar to the AW159 Wildcat helicopters used by the Republic of Korea Navy, which also uses the missile for a similar purpose.
(Da-Real)