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Spada Aspide aka Skyguard Aspide

Spada Aspide aka Skyguard Aspide is an anti-aircraft missile system jointly developed by Italy and Switzerland. It uses medium-range guided missiles to engage aerial targets. The company Selenia is engaged in the production of rockets. It includes anti-aircraft guided missiles and air-to-air missiles. In 1988, the Aspide Mk.1 was adopted by the Italian Air Force. The design of the missile is based on the American RIM-7E Sea Sparrow.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine were learning to use the Aspide anti-aircraft missile system. A total of 19 Ukrainian servicemen were undergoing training at the air base in the city of Zaragoza, Spain. This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of the country. The training had been going on for several weeks and should end on October 14. After that, another part of the soldiers will come to Spain. There was no information yet when deliveries of the Aspide air defense system will begin.

Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov announced 07 November 2022 "NASAMS and Aspide air defence systems arrived in Ukraine! These weapons will significantly strengthen #UAarmy and will make our skies safer. We will continue to shoot down the enemy targets attacking us. Thank you to our partners: Norway, Spain and the US." Commenting on the new delivery of weapons, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country is on its way to achieving a 100% closed sky to the enemy.

Spain helped Ukraine ensure the protection of its airspace from Russian air and missile strikes. The new military assistance package from Spain includes a battery of the Aspide anti-aircraft missile system, four Hawk air defense systems, anti-tank missile systems, as well as guns and shells for them. This was stated by Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, at a briefing in Kyiv with his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Albares, according to European Pravda.

"I am very glad that there is a new package, it is already on its way to Ukraine, and in the near future our state will strengthen its defense capabilities, having received a battery of the Aspide anti-aircraft missile system and its missiles, four Hawk air defense systems, anti-tank missile systems, guns and shells to them, as well as other military equipment," he noted.

Aspide complexes are designed to protect strategic objects, such as industrial enterprises, airfields or seaports. They can work as part of an echeloned air defense system and exchange data with other types of air defense systems.

Israeli Defence Forces officer and military analyst Yigal Levin in an interview with Radio NV on Nov. 8 has explained how the Italian Aspide systems Ukraine has received from Spain will bolster the country’s air defenses. "It's a good system,” Levin said. “It's a short-range land-based missile system. It can down planes, helicopters, drones.”

“Most importantly, they can shoot down maneuvering targets. Unlike medium range NASAMS, which can be used for high targets, it's a short-range system. NASAMS can shoot challenging maneuvering targets, while Aspide can shoot almost everything except missiles, I think. They can definitely work on drones, planes and helicopters."