Israel's Rafael Unveils Super Ice, a Tomahawk-Class Cruise Missile With a 1,000-Pound Warhead
Rafael has unveiled Super Ice, a large air-, land- and sea-launched cruise missile with a 1,000-pound warhead, described as comparable in size to the US Tomahawk. Range and dimensions were not disclosed.
Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has unveiled the biggest member of its cruise missile family yet. Called Super Ice, it carries a 1,000-pound warhead and can be launched from aircraft, ground launchers or ships, the company says.
Breaking Defense, which saw a preview video, described it as noticeably larger than Rafael's earlier missiles and closer in size to the American Tomahawk. Rafael did not give its length, weight, range or speed, saying only that it flies farther than its smaller siblings.
A growing family
Super Ice builds on two earlier Rafael weapons: Sea Breaker, introduced in 2021 with a range of about 300 km and a 250-pound warhead, and Ice Breaker, unveiled in 2023 for air and ground launch. Rafael says the launchers are compatible across the family and that Super Ice fits MK83-class weapon stations, which points to fighters such as the F-15, F-16, Tornado and Eurofighter Typhoon.
The company's video showed the missile attacking a bunker, a ballistic missile launch site and large warships. Rafael describes it as fifth-generation and low-observable, with AI-assisted image-matching guidance, low-altitude flight, high subsonic speed and the ability to operate when GPS is jammed. Those are company claims; the missile's operational status was not disclosed.
A Tomahawk cruise missile launch, the US weapon Super Ice is compared to in size. File photo: U.S. Navy (public domain).
Why it matters
Rafael chairman Yuval Steinitz called Super Ice the best cruise missile of its kind in the world. The bigger claim is strategic: a 1,000-pound warhead and longer range move Israel's export-friendly cruise missiles from tactical strikes into the class of weapons that can hit hardened, deep targets.
That puts Rafael in direct competition with Kongsberg's missiles, MBDA's Storm Shadow and the Tomahawk itself, at a time when European and Asian buyers are rushing to acquire long-range strike. Rafael says it passed $1 billion in cruise missile orders in 2023.
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