Rayheon Pike - rifle-launched precision guided missile (courtesy sofrep.com)

“Raytheon has developed a hand-launched missile, called the Pike, intended to replace the M203 [grenade launcher] and Javelin [fire-and-forget anti-tank missile launcher],” sofrep.com reports. “The Pike is 17 inches long, weighs two pounds, is 40mm in diameter, and is claimed to be ‘the world’s only hand-launched precision-guided munition.'” Like the FGM-148 Javelin, the Pike’s a crew-served weapon: one soldier ‘paints the target,’ the other fires the weapon. For now. It seems likely a new, one-man army-comparable platform will combine the laser designator with the fire control system (a la Tracking Point). Whether the Pike peaks as a drone-mounted weapon or ends up as an infantry weapon remains to be seen.

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33 COMMENTS

  1. Didn’t the Army already try something like this in the late 80’s/early 90’s with the High-Explosive Squash Head?

  2. I don’t think this will be like Tracking Point. The missile is a smart projectile, it can steer. The way the “laser painting” works is the missile steers to keep maximum reflected laser energy coming into that lens on the front. Tracking point is for dumb projectiles, those that can’t steer. The scope visually tracks a user tagged point in the view and then after you command it to fire it is allowed to wait to release trigger weight until there is a preferential alignment of the sighting point to the tagged point. The projectile is on its own after that, it’ll be only as good as the ballistics computation was accurate for the external conditions.

    -D

  3. What a cute little missile!

    It looks like it takes up the space of 4-5 grenades, however, so here’s hoping it makes it up in effectiveness and range.

    • Articles I read quoted a 2,500 m range (this is from memory, feel free to verify). I think the 40mm grenade has a range of about 1/10th that or less, so seems pretty significant to my thinking.

  4. I could see this as a vertical launch from a backpack unit that could attack a weak point such as top armor.

  5. So how much does this little toy cost?
    Can this missile be fired like a mortar from an indirect position?
    I know the laser designator would line of sight.

  7. In most states, a 17 inch long, two pound pike is undersized and must be returned to the water unharmed.

  9. Humvee with a rack full of those bad boys. Then just drag the laser pointer around to launch missiles on command. I dig. But I’m sure it has an outrageous cost. And the 60mm mortar (with sling and small base plate) can provide squad level explosive power and the ability to launch multiple types of munitions. (Smoke, flare, wp, hepd) its a solution looking for a problem.

  10. This device is not intended to replace either the M203 or Javelin. It allows a squad to be able to carry a small laser guides middle to engage point targets well beyond the effective range of any shoulder fired weapon from either a FN, HK, or M79 grenade launcher.

    • That’s what it sounded like to me as well. I was failing to see how something that has a completely different purpose was going to replace two of the best tools for each of their particular purposes.

  12. Uh, it’s not a replacement for the Javelin. And it launches from the existing side-load 40mm grenade launcher that can be underslung on an M16. Look at the base of the missile.

    And/or read the real press release.

  15. About time we got the rocket lawnchair. Can’t wait for the bounce shot and iron lizard.

  16. Didn’t Ironman have one of these in Ironman one when he blew up the tank?Really cool though.
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  17. There was a cartoon in the 80’s called Spiral Zone (or Zone Warriors). The was a lot of cool weapons tech in this cartoon. One thing that was displayed over and over again was the use of weaponized backpacks. So image these mini-missiles in a vertical launching backpack with like ten tubes. The user has a helmet with a HUD and built in laser designation. He selects his target and looks at it and presses a release trigger. Bye Bye target.

  18. “intended to replace the M203”
    How exactly does a crew-served anti-tank weapon replace the M203? Do they mean physically replace the location of (ie. displace ), because it certainly doesn’t sound like its fulfilling the same role as the M203 – in fact it sounds completely incapable of doing what an M203 does. The M203 could be made smarter, and more effective, but not by replacing it with a laser guided missile, no matter what the size.

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