"This was one of the most complexed [sic] trails [sic; trial] we held over the past few years and a technological breakthrough for IAI's missile development operations,” Boaz Levi, the company’s Executive Vice President and General Manager of Systems, Missiles & Space Group, said. “The trail [sic; trial] was held according to a full operational outline, including an assessment of the system's maneuvering, assault and precision capabilities.”

On June 20, 2017, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) said it had successfully test-fired its Long-Range Artillery (LORA) system from a containerized launcher on the back of a truck sitting on the deck of a cargo ship. The state-operated firm first unveiled the mobile ballistic missile back in 2006 . The experiment, which destroyed a pre-planned target, was part of final trials ahead of “several deals that involve the system,” according to a press release .

Though the concept has yet to find its big break, defense contractors continue to expand on the idea of highly mobile weapon systems that meet the size and weight restrictions of standard shipping containers . Now, Israel has tested such a system and says it has buyers already in line.

According to IAI's website and a company fact sheet, the 3,500-pound solid-fuel LORA can hit targets nearly 250 miles away within 10 minutes thanks to an unspecified “supersonic velocity." The missile has a penetrating warhead of some type and relies on GPS and inertial navigation to get it to the target area. However, once it’s there, an operator can course correct using a command-to-target television guidance system giving the missile incredible accuracy. This dual-mode configuration has become a staple of Israel missile technology and is very similar to that found on the Delilah cruise missile and the much smaller Spike NLOS missile from Israeli government-owned company Rafael. The man-in-the-loop terminal guidance technique was developed over decades, with weapons like the Popeye/Have Nap paving the way for this current generation of highly advanced dual-guidance missile systems. It also means that if need be, the weapon can hit targets in spite of bad weather, smoke, or other obscurants that would interfere with a laser or optical terminal guidance arrangement.

IAI

According to IAI, a notional complete containerized LORA battery would include a command and fire control container and four launchers, each with four missiles, plus four reload vehicles. On land, trucks would carry these components, giving them additional mobility and the ability to escape a first strike. At sea, the self-contained nature of the system means a customer could easily load it onto any vessel with the appropriate space, quickly turning it into a stand-off weapon platform. Since the command section has all the equipment necessary to launch the missiles, no other modifications to the ship are necessary. In a maritime environment, the obvious benefits of these systems are relatively low cost launchers and the lack of need for a dedicated missile-armed vessel. A system with this type of range could provide precision strikes and timely fire support deep into enemy territory without the use of fixed-wing air power and the risks that go along with it. A military could purchase only a small number of LORA systems and simply move them from ship to ship as necessary. Depending on the defensive capabilities of the opponent, logistics ships or other auxiliaries could suddenly become impromptu combatants, freeing up purpose-built and better defended warships for tasks in more dangerous environments. The LORA's cruise-missile-like range could potentially keep even less well protected ships out of the way of shore-based defenses altogether. There’s a long-standing fear that rogue states or other enemy forces might use innocuous, civilian-styled container carriers to launch sneak attacks, too.

Tal Inbar via Wikipedia