Rafael released the first details on this unique weapon system in 2022. The unveiling of the 5th generation long-range, autonomous precision-guided cruise missile came one year after the introduction of the Sea Breaker, designed for launch from land and ships.
According to Rafael, the Ice Breaker is an aerial force-multiplier designed to overcome modern warfare arena challenges through Rafael’s legacy of high-end precision-guided solutions. The company says that Ice Breaker is resilient to electronic countermeasures and is fully operational in GNSS-denied arenas. Rafael states in an official announcement that the Ice Breaker provides surgical, pinpoint precision strike capabilities from standoff ranges up to 300 km.
Rafael mentions that the cruise missile features an advanced IIR (Imaging Infra-Red) seeker, ideal for stationary or moving land and maritime target engagement in advanced Anti Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) arenas. The official release says that Ice Breaker is compatible with various aerial platforms, including jet fighters, light aircraft, helicopters, and is fully operational across all weather conditions. The missile’s datalink supports real-time man-in-the-loop decision-making and tactical updates, with midflight abort and Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) capabilities.
The company states that the missile was developed employing Rafael’s unique combat-proven artificial intelligence technology, deep learning, and big data-based scene-matching, enabling Automatic Target Acquisition (ATA) and Automatic Target Recognition (ATR).
Rafael says that the missile flies at high subsonic speeds and has a multi-directional, synchronized full sphere attack capability, based on predefined attack plans, according to waypoints, azimuth, impact angle, and aim point selection. This, the Israeli company says, ensures a high probability of mission success. The Ice Breaker is 4 meters long and weighs 770 lbs, including a 250 lbs penetration, blast, and fragmentation warhead.
