launch while pushing the defense envelope up to an 80 km radius. Both systems enable a 360° launch within seconds of the target being declared hostile ‒ and provide all-weather, multi-launch, and net-centric capabilities. The SPYDER systems have advanced ECCM capabilities and use electro-optical observation payloads as well as wireless data link communication. Operational use During the Russo-Georgian War of 2008, it was believed that Georgia operated the SPYDER-SR. The Georgian air force could have operated up to four launchers of the SPYDER-SR. On 26 February 2019, after the Balakot Airstrike, India used a SPYDER system to shoot down a surveillance drone of the Pakistan Armed Forces at the Indo-Pakistan Border at Gujarat. On 27 February 2019, during the 2019 Jammu and Kashmir airstrikes, Indian SPYDER system shot down an Indian Air Force (IAF) Mil Mi-17 in Budgam, Kashmir. All six IAF personnel on board the helicopter and one civilian on the ground were killed. After 6 months of investigation, IAF confirmed that shooting down of Mi-17 was a friendly fire and 5 IAF personnel were held guilty. Operators Current operators In 2012, Azerbaijan and Israel signed a $1.6 billion contract to supply unknown quantity of Spyder and Barak-8 SAM to Azerbaijan. Czech Armed Forces – On 25 September 2020, the Czech Ministry of Defense announced that it would begin negotiations with the Israeli government on the acquisition of SPYDER. Rafael said in a 27 September press release that the Czech MoD informed the Israeli MoD’s Directorate of International Defense Cooperation of the decision “[f]ollowing an international tender process, which lasted several years”. The Czech MoD reported that Minister of Defense Lubomír Metnar informed his government that his ministry had decided to begin negotiations with the Israeli government “on the possibility of acquiring a new modern anti-aircraft missile system for the Czech Army … designed to ensure the continuous defense of the airspace of the Czech Republic, especially the protection of troops and urban agglomerations, nuclear power plants, industrial centres, airports and other important facilities.” The SPYDER-MR deal was valued at around $430 million. With deliveries expected in 2023, the SPYDER-MR would replace ageing Soviet-era 2K12 Kub systems, in use by the Czech army since the 1970s. The Czech government announced on 27 September 2021 that it has signed an agreement to purchase four SPYDER batteries. The Czech Ministry of Defense said that the value of the deal was $627