Spice

The "SPICE" ("Smart, Precise Impact, Cost-Effective") is an Israeli-developed, EO/GPS- guidance kit used for converting air-droppable unguided bombs into precision-guided bombs. The featured guidance system is a derivative of the respective system used in the "Popeye" (AGM-142 Have Nap) air-to-surface missile. The "Spice" family of guided bombs are a product of an Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. It achieved initial operational capability in 2003, in Israeli Air Force F-16 squadrons. Design The "Spice" guided bomb features technology not typically seen in most EO-guided bombs, such as the GBU-15. It combines the advantages of satellite guidance (allowing it to engage camouflaged and hidden targets; to provide a "drop-and-forget" option for several such targets simultaneously and operate in all weather and lighting conditions), and those of electro-optical guidance (such as the ability to provide "man-in-the-loop" guidance for higher precision; the ability to engage relocatable targets; lower CEP than that of satellite-guided munitions; and independence from external information sources like satellites) into one bomb – reducing the number of munitions (and hence, payload) that an aircraft has to carry for a given strike mission, increasing its combat radius and maneuverability. This multiple guidance methods selectability is especially useful in an "information warfare" battlefield, where an aircraft might approach a surface target while it is, for example, masked with smoke (in which case satellite guidance would be required) or moving around (in which case electro-optical guidance would be required). The "Spice" kit can be fitted with up to 100 targets pre-flight that can be accessed and selected in-flight.