Rafael and SpearUAV announced a joint strategic program on Wednesday to develop Iron Wasp, a new interceptor designed to protect maneuvering ground forces from explosive drones, loitering munitions and other aerial threats. The system is meant to be mounted on armored combat vehicles and to intercept targets while the force is moving.
The companies said Iron Wasp is based on SpearUAV’s Viper technology and combines autonomous systems from SpearUAV with Rafael’s experience in multilayer air defense. Its main selling point is immediate launch without prior preparation, along with a compact design and low resource consumption that do not add operational complexity for troops.
Iron Wasp integrates detection, identification and interception in one package, and is intended to handle fast, low-signature targets. Rafael said the interceptor can be launched from a small multi-cell launcher fitted directly on the armored vehicle and can be combined with existing sensors and other systems according to battlefield needs.
The system is also designed to work alongside Rafael platforms such as Trophy, Drone Dome and laser systems. Zvi Marmor, Rafael’s senior vice president and head of the Land and Sea Division, called it “a complete and more advanced response to one of the central challenges facing ground forces today.” SpearUAV CEO Yiftach Kleinman said the selection of his company after an extensive evaluation showed strong confidence in its technology and vision, and said the partnership supports the push toward “Organic Air Force” capabilities for maneuvering forces.
