Israel

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has unveiled a large autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) called BLUE WHALE designed for covert intelligence gathering in the sea and coastal waters. The AUV can perform a significant portion of the operations of a manned submarine for several weeks without the need for operators on board. It is equipped with two types of sonars, a radar, EO sensors, and a satellite communications terminal mounted on a telescopic mast.

The BARAK MX, IAI’s cutting-edge air defense system, offers a comprehensive solution for modern air and missile defense challenges, providing scalability, flexibility, growth potential, and interoperability. The system was developed to meet Israel's stringent requirements and is a crucial component of the country's air defense network.

The Finnish Ministry of Defense has informed the Israeli Ministry of Defense of its decision to procure the David's Sling Weapon System (DSWS), an advanced air‐defense system. This is the first export sale of the David's Sling Weapon System to a foreign military.

Last week (16 March 2023), SIG SAUER announced the acquisition of Israeli robotics expert General Robotics, a world-leading manufacturer of lightweight, remote weapon stations and tactical robotics. According to Dan Cohen, SIG Sauer Inc. CEO, combining General Robotics' remote weapons station with SIG SAUER’s lightweight squad weapons and high-pressure hybrid ammunition could revolutionize small arms for military forces worldwide.

General Robotics, the Israeli designer of Light Weight RCWS Systems and tactical robotics, displays advanced integrations of the company’s systems over platforms from several manufacturers. The systems are displayed by several leading integrators participating in the IDEX defense exhibition and NAVDEX naval expo opening today in Abu Dhabi.

IAF Base, Yelahahanka - Aero India 2023: The past three decades have seen significant growth in India-Israel defense cooperation. This cooperation is expected to grow in the coming years as Israeli defense companies expand their presence and adjust to India’s self-reliance policy to address regional security challenges and tap the true scope of this market.

IAI has been awarded a multi-million-dollar contract by the Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate (IWTSD) of the US Department of Defense (DoD) to rapidly develop and deliver “ROC-X,” a version of the POINT BLANK hybrid-missile system, designed to increase the organic precision strike lethality of small tactical teams. The Point Blank weapon has already been tested in Israel, and IAI plans to deliver the first ROC-X prototypes and training to DoD for Operational Testing and Evaluation in FY-23.

After less than three years of development, Smartshooter has reached the final milestone of the Individual Weapon Overmatch Optic (IWOO) program, successfully passing the system’s Technology Readiness Review (TRR). As part of this phase, two prototype systems were taken through a series of live-fire tests by IWTSD to ensure the system met the contract performance requirements. The systems performed well and fired day and night, using clip-on night vision devices.

The US Army recently completed rigorous testing on the Iron Fist Active Protection System (APS) that showed significantly improved results over previous tests. The testing completed in October 2022 of the Iron Fist Light Decoupled (IFLD) system demonstrated improvements in both durability and system effectiveness, compared to the previous testing on the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle. The Army is considering the system to equip its Bradley, OMFV and other light armored vehicles.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has announced it has enhanced its SPYDER air defense system with a Counter-TBM (tactical ballistic missiles) capability. The enhancement was developed in response to urgent operational requests from several customers. The program will extend the capabilities of the SPYDER's effectors and implement various Counter-TBM derivatives across the system.

Israel's Ministry of Defense has selected Oshkosh Defense to produce hundreds of hulls for the IDF's new wheeled Armored Personnel Carriers (APC). The announcement follows a process led by the Ministry of Defense's Procurement Mission in the US, in cooperation with the Tank and APC Directorate. The program is likely to produce 500 vehicles, with hundreds more deliveries expected in the future. Eitan will replace M113s in service with the IDF since the late 1960s. 

Israel Integrates "Iron Fist" Active Protection Systems (APS) in the 'Eitan' Armored Personnel Carrier and 'Panda' Armored D9 Bulldozer. A final test series completed the integration process, demonstrating successful interception tests in various challenging scenarios. The video documenting the tests depicts a new version of the APS, employing a smaller radar panel and protected launchers.

The SandCat EX11 was designed and produced by Plasan, using commercial Ford F550 chassis, stripped off the standard body, and added the armored capsule designed by the company’s unique kitted-hull architecture enabling flexible configurations for different uses.

Israel Shipyards today at the Euronaval 2022 exhibition a new variant of its SAAR class corvette line - the SAAR S-80. The new vessel joins the S-72 that serves in the Israel Navy as a Light Patrol Corvette, and the RESHEF Class an advanced multi-role vessel. The S-80 can be adjusted to accommodate Corvette or an OPV version, depending on the operational requirements. Israel Shipyards intends to make the new S80 its flagship vessel for the next decade, serving the needs of the Israeli and foreign navies.