The Spike Firefly was developed to provide infantry forces with the capability to engage enemies behind cover during
urban warfare; although it isn't an
anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) like the rest of the
Spike missile family, it is considered part of it from using components developed for them. A battery powers two electric motors that drive two counter-rotating two-blade rotors allowing for
vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and hovering with minimal noise. The munition body consists of three sections: a sensor package that includes an
uncooled thermal imager and
EO day sensor with a proximity sensor that can track and pursue agile targets; the battery that delivers endurance of 15 minutes; and a payload section. The payload can be a 350 g omnidirectional blast fragmentation warhead in a strike mode or another battery doubling endurance to 30 minutes in a reconnaissance mode. It can operate autonomously flying via waypoints, or be controlled by an operator to search and attack targets beyond
line of sight. The operator-in-the-loop function allows for a strike to be aborted if needed, and it can return to be reused. The Spike Firefly body section is 400 mm tall, 80 mm wide, and weighs 3 kg. Control range is 1,500 m in open terrain and 500 m in an urban setting. It can fly at , reach when diving for an attack, and can operate in wind speeds up to 36 km/h. A Spike Firefly system contains three munitions held in tubes and a 1 kg control unit carried in a backpack by a single operator totaling 15 kg. ==Operational history==