Operation Roaring Lion, aka Epic Fury, brings renewed attention to the advanced guidance systems and precision-strike technologies now defining the air and maritime campaign against Iran, such as Rafael Advanced Defense System’s SPICE (Smart, Precise-Impact, Cost-Effective) family of munitions and the LITENING Advanced Targeting Pod, details of which have been published by the Israel Air Force.
These systems, along with many others, are enabling the IAF and the United States Air Force to carry out long-range, high-accuracy strikes, even in heavily jammed environments such as Tehran, while reducing collateral damage and expanding the range of targets that can be engaged.
SPICE as a core precision weapon
Although often described as a single weapon, SPICE is a family of electro-optically guided munitions of various sizes and ranges. The SPICE 2000, the heaviest variant, carries a 2,000-pound (approximately 900 kg) warhead and can glide roughly 60 kilometers. The reach of SPICE 1000 extends to about 100 km, thanks to deployable wings.
The smallest variant, the SPICE 250, is a different concept entirely: a lightweight glide munition designed for man-in-the-loop control, allowing a navigator to steer it in real time, redirect it, or abort the strike entirely by crashing it into a safe area. Aircraft can carry as many as 16 SPICE 250s at once, making them well-suited for hunting mobile, high-value targets such as ballistic missile launchers and air-defense batteries.
SPICE was originally developed to give the IAF a way to strike targets accurately without relying on GPS. Instead of depending on satellite navigation, the weapon uses a reference image of the target and compares it to what its seeker sees during flight.
While GPS assists the glide path, the final approach is driven by image matching. This capability has become essential in areas where GPS is heavily jammed, including Tehran, where Israeli planners have emphasized the need for precision without risking unintended damage.
The underlying technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, has been in operational use for over 20 years. The system’s ability to recognize structures and terrain features has allowed pilots to collapse a single building, strike a specific floor, or hit a precise aim point with a single munition.
Within the IAF, the weapons are described as a preferred choice for many precision missions, and defense industry officials say production lines are believed to be operating around the clock to meet demand.
“Rafael is engaged in continuous and intensive activity in support of the operational efforts of Operation Roaring Lion. At this time, we are focused on providing the operational response required by the IDF and the defense establishment, a Rafael spokesperson told Defense & Tech by The Jerusalem Post.
“Rafael is proud to stand alongside the defense establishment and remains committed to continuing its efforts in support of the security of the State of Israel,” he added.
The SPICE family has been used extensively in Yemen, including against explosive-laden tow boats in coastal harbors, and both the SPICE 1000 and SPICE 250 have been employed in recent long-range missions against Iran.
While the company will not comment on its operational use, videos published by the IAF have shown it used in Roaring Lion. One video was even filmed from the missile’s perspective before it crashed into the target, exploding it.
Other images out of Iran published on Thursday also showed a variant of Rafael’s Ice Breaker, an air-launched long-range attack weapon system that, according to the company, “provides surgical, pinpoint precision strike capabilities from standoff ranges.”
The system was unveiled in 2022, one year after the Sea Breaker system- a precision missile that can be launched from ships at sea or ground-based launchers and hit targets at a distance of up to 300 kilometers.
The four-meter-long missile weighs less than 400 kilograms and flies at high subsonic speeds towards its target. With infrared homing and automatic target recognition capabilities, it can be launched day or night and in all weather conditions. It can be used for various purposes, including sea-to-sea, sea-land, land-sea, or land-land missions against high-value targets.
“Given the ongoing situation, we will not be able to comment on the manner of activity or on the use of the various systems in the field,” the Rafael spokesperson noted.
Litening pod expands targeting capabilities
Alongside SPICE, Rafael’s LITENING targeting pod has also become an important sensor in the operation.
The platform-agnostic pod is integrated on over 26 different aircraft, including the F-16, F-15, F-18, Eurofighter Typhoon, Gripen, Leonardo M-346, and even transport platforms. More than 35 countries operate LITENING, and Rafael is now advancing work on the next generation, which is expected to incorporate enhanced communications and manned-unmanned teaming capabilities.
The pod’s sensor suite includes mid-wave and short-wave infrared, high-resolution, color imaging, and dual-wavelength laser designation, with an optional synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for wide-area, all-weather imaging, giving pilots the ability to identify and engage targets at long range and in poor visibility.
It is compatible with laser, GPS, and image-guided munitions and includes real-time datalink capability across Ku, C, and L bands (satellite communications frequencies).
LITENING 5 supports air-to-ground and air-to-air missions, including ground moving target indication, multi-target tracking, and automatic target recognition. For air-to-air operations, it enhances target identification at range, supports detection of low-RCS threats, and provides missile cueing when integrated with the host platform.
It also offers capabilities for detecting and engaging unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and supporting operational flexibility against diverse threats. Recent combat footage from Iran shows Israeli, American, and British aircraft using LITENING to detect and destroy hostile drones, often while flying at low altitude.
International partnerships and evolving airpower
With the USAF and IAF carrying out hundreds of airstrikes daily (the IDF reported that over 5,000 munitions have been used since the start of the operation), there has been concern that the two militaries might run out of munitions sooner rather than later.
However, Rafael’s international industrial partnerships, notably with companies such as Lockheed Martin and Hensoldt, are said to have accelerated the integration, development, and manufacturing of the systems.
Together, the SPICE family, Sea Breaker, Icebreaker, and the LITENING pod illustrate a broader shift in modern airpower. The IAF is increasingly relying on weapons that can operate independently of GPS, discriminate between targets with high precision, and adapt to rapidly changing battlefield conditions.
These systems allow aircraft to engage more targets per sortie, operate effectively in contested electromagnetic environments, and maintain accuracy even during deep-range missions.
As the operation continues, advanced Israeli technologies are both shaping the current campaign and setting the foundation for how future air operations will be conducted by other forces.
The next issue will be how quickly these capabilities can evolve as adversaries improve their own electronic warfare and air-defense systems.