Defense cancels the purchase of 1,680 D -Couple missiles under Israeli license | Spain
The Ministry of Defense has decided to cancel the purchase of 168 shooting positions and 1,680 D -Counsel missiles LR2 for 287.5 million euros that were going to be manufactured in Spain under the license of the Israeli company Rafael, as the Cadena SER has advanced and have confirmed to El País Government Sources. On the other hand, the same sources add, the Silam Multiple Lanzacohetes program continues, although it will no longer incorporate the technology of the Israeli company Elbit, but will be “entirely Spanish”.
Both decisions respond to « Technological Disconnection » Plan of the Israeli military industry announced last Friday the Secretary of State for Defense, Amparo Valcarceto end Israel’s « technological dependence ». With the implementation of this plan, the department led by Margarita Robles is advanced to the entry into force of the proposal of the embargo on the purchases and sales of armament to countries prosecuted in international courts for crimes against humanity, as is the case of Israel, which processes the Congress by urgency at the initiative of adding.
The Council of Ministers approved on October 3, 2023, four days before the Hamas attack that triggered the Israeli army offensive against Gaza, which has already caused more than 53,000 dead, the purchase of the latest generation countercart missiles Spike LR2 to provide the Army and the Marine Infantry, which already used a previous version of the same system. The program included 168 shooting posts and 1,680 missiles, with the corresponding logistics support, for an amount of 287.5 million to be paid in five years.
Initially, The Ministry of Defense had ruled out suspending this contract claiming that the manufacture of missiles was going to be carried out in Spain And that Spanish companies would participate in its production such as Notary, Expal, Tecnobit or FMG, although the main contractor was the company Pap Tecnos, Spanish subsidiary of the Israeli Rafael. Now the Ministry of Defense will have to look for an alternative to equip the Armed Forces. The main candidate is the American Javelin that has been acquired by the Moroccan army, among many others.
Besides, The Ministry of Defense has decided to dispense with Israeli technology in the new multiple launcher system SILAM, A program of 576 million euros developed by the Empresas Notary and Expal-Rheinmetall, according to the same sources. The project, which comes to cover a lack of the army of Earth since decades This turn will force Rediseñar El RuncoCohetes, of which a first demonstrator had already been delivered and was already planned to carry out the corresponding fire tests, which will cause delays.
It has not been clarified what luck will be the third major contract that the Ministry of Defense with the Israeli military industry is in force: the acquisition of a lot of 46 laser designators for 207.1 million euros to the Rafael company. These systems, called PODs, allow to improve the ability to detect, identify and monitor the objectives of Eurofighter combat aircraft.
In addition, although it has not yet been awarded, the acquisition of the new joint tactical radio system of the Army (SCRT) is also pending, for 738 million, and so far the favorite offer was that of Telefónica and Aicox, with technology of the Israeli Elbit, which with the new guidelines cannot materialize.
Until now, the government’s criteria was to limit the veto to the purchases of Israeli military material strictly to the armament and ammunition items, which resulted in the cancellation of a contract of the Ministry of the Interior to acquire 15 million bullets for the Civil Guard. However, after Sánchez himself flags an international embargo on the supply of weapons to Israel, the government has given a new twist and has included the veto to the use of Israeli technology in weapons systems manufactured in Spain, which will inevitably translate into delays and increase in some contracts, according to military sources.
