Short-Medium Distributed Defense

SPYDER

Mobile short-to-medium-range air-defense family

System Status
Active
Updated 2026-03-19
SPYDER SR SPYDER ER SPYDER MR SPYDER LR SPYDER AiO
Key Specifications
Range Verified
20-80 km family envelope depending on SR / ER / MR / LR variant configuration
Altitude Verified
6-12 km in the current AiO SR/ER brochure; no clean family-wide normalized altitude figure is published for all variants
Radar Verified
SR/ER variants mount radar sensor on the C2 unit; MR/LR use separate truck-mounted radar; launchers embed TopLite EO sensor
Interceptors
Python 5I-DerbyI-Derby ERbooster-assisted MR/LR derivatives
Mobility Highly mobile battery family with on-the-move detection, fire-after-halt behavior, and air transportability in Rafael public material
Operators Verified
Philippines operational; Czech Republic in delivery and testing path for four batteries
Procurement & Transfer Activity
2021-10-05

Czech Ministry of Defence signed an intergovernmental SPYDER procurement agreement with Israel for four batteries

Verified
2025-04-28

Armed Forces of the Philippines said the Philippine Air Force Spyder Air Defense System was used during Balikatan 40-2025 integrated air-defense training

Verified
2025-09-02

Czech Army said the first SPYDER battery passed an operational test and entered military trials ahead of fielding

Verified
Strengths
  • + Variant family covers point-defense and broader mobile short-to-medium-range roles without forcing one missile choice
  • + Battery architecture is highly mobile and built for rapid emplacement, dispersed operation, and maneuver-force protection
  • + Current official sourcing supports both a European delivery path and an Asian operational-use reference
Limitations
  • - Family-wide comparisons can become misleading if AiO, SR/ER, and MR/LR configurations are flattened into one envelope
  • - Public current operator transparency is thinner than for more established allied systems like Patriot or NASAMS
  • - Official altitude data is variant-specific rather than cleanly normalized across the whole family
Manufacturer
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems / ELTA Systems
Israel
Evidence Labels
Verified Official manufacturer or government source
Reported Credible third-party or think-tank reporting
Unavailable Official sources do not publish this figure
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