The State of Israel is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. There are quite a few reasons for this, and the subject is discussed in many articles. One of the prominent reasons for Israel’s technological status is the Israel Defense Forces.
The State of Israel has been under military threat since its inception and decades before that. The existential military threat has forced the country to invest massive capital in developing military technologies that will allow the military to build a technological advantage that will create deterrence that will prevent war.
Dependence on Western powers, first France and then the United States, made a strategic threat to Israel because much of Israel’s military capabilities became dependent on political leaders’ will. The desire to reduce dependence to a minimum has created a powerful motivation to develop independent technological capabilities.
Military development has led to the widespread growth of the aerospace and military industries. In the recruitment process, the army selects, year after year, the most talented young people and trains them, among other things, to develop military technologies.
These young people became the start-startups State of Israel’s infrastructure. After graduating from the army at a young age, with very advanced technological knowledge, and established startups offer civilian applications for military technologies.
Israel’s military technologies cover every possible field: cyber warfare, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, on land and at sea, communications, fighter jets, submarines, infantry equipment, space, electronic warfare, and more.
This article will review a small part of the prominent technologies that have been developed and approved for publication.
Selected military technologies of Israel
Protector USV
Israel is the first-ever country that has developed the unmanned boat that is widely used for surveillance. It can also be used for protection purposes. So, by keeping the surveillance around the clock, these people can stay alert. If they find anything suspicious, they would fight with them and never let the enemies get into the country.
The protector unmanned surface vehicle is the equipment that allows the operator to do less work. The 9 or 11 m patrol boat will let 6 crew members sit and operate the sensors. It helps them to navigate in the right direction and use the weapon system tactically. However, people sitting in the boat may be prone to the enemies’ bullets as the boat is not bulletproof.
This stays unprotected even when you fire small bullets. The boat’s space would be wasted a lot to keep the food, water, and equipment. However, people who are going to stay in the boat longer can use all this. The protector will need only two people to operate the boat.
The best part is that the operator does not need to sit in the boat. Instead, they can operate from a remote location safely. There would be a control station in which they can see the movements of the boat. It increases the operational efficiency by four times more than the boats that are operated by men.
There will be an electrostatic sensor, radar, and the Typhoon stabilized remote weapon station equipped with the machine gun. The sought after for this type of boat by many other nations is that space otherwise wasted to keep the food and other things can be utilized to have fuels and sensors. This area can be best utilized to keep all these necessary things to make the war uninterruptedly.
These are widely deployed in the harbors to carry out surveillance round the clock. It is also used for investigation and for engaging in the hostile small crafts. These are used in the anti-piracy duty. The speed at which the boat is run, i.e., 92 km per hour, and various sensors used, would help keep track and chase the pirate boats with high efficiency compared to the manned boats.
A few countries have bought this boat and have deployed it in their respective harbors to keep surveillance and do the force protection duties, especially in the Persian Gulf.
The beauty is that the 11 mm fitting would be fixed with Spike missiles and water cannon to carry out firefighting and non-invasive engagements. The twin diesel engine would boost the efficiency and speed of the boat. These boats would improve, and there are many new generation unmanned vessels that will soon hit the military operations.
Delilah Cruise missile
The Delilah is the best cruise missile of the Israel Defense force (IDF). This is of a medium-range and looks alike to that of the mini version of the Tomahawk missile. This is a lightweight and compact missile that would drive at the speed of 250km range. The weight of this missile is around 187 kg and is launched from F-15/16.
However, it can also be launched from the helicopter of UH-60. This would travel at the speed of around Mach 0.3 to 0.7. It will be destroying the air defense sites of other countries accurately and with just 1 m error. The missile can move to the target. The remote navigator can use the IR and optical sensors to find out the target and then hit it perfectly without misfiring.
This missile’s warhead would make it limited to use in the small sites and target the running vehicles. There is a different variant of this type of missile that also exists with a 250 km range. With its lightweight, longer range, and high accuracy, it is considered a dangerous weapon by all.
Tavor or Micro-Tavor Assault Rifle
The rifle is a modern weapon that is developed by the Israel Military forces for their IDF. It is lightweight, highly durable, and reliable and hits the target accurately compared to the M4A1 carbine, which was in use by the IDF for a longer period.
This rifle’s caliber is 5.56*45 NATO round, and you can use this continuously to fire 30 rounds. It makes use of suffix 21, which indicates that this is a kind of assault rifle that has been developed and used in this 21st century. There are different variations of this rifle being used. These include:
GTAR – It is a longer version of this rifle that is designed to house around 40 mm UBGL
MTAR – The micro variant would be compact and is exclusively used for Special Forces
STAR – The Marksman variant comes with the bipod, and it offers 4 times of magnification ACOG sight
The assault rifle will come with a reflex sight with which one can aim the target precisely. This sight helps the military personnel to see the target and hit them right. This rifle is being used by the military people in all their fights with the other countries.
The Indian commando forces also use it. Even it makes use of MTAR 21 that is manufactured under the name of Zittara. The cartridge that is used in the rifle would be of around 5.56×30 mm. The Israel Defense force will also use MTAR-21 that is 5.56×45 or 9mm pistol rounds. It would show its immaculate performance when it is used in the hot desert climatic conditions.
Merkava ¾ MBT
The tanks are widely used in the wars to destroy the army tents with just one bullet. The Merkava tanks were created way back in 1980. These tanks are created to meet the requirements of the Israeli army. These are best to make tanks.
The design of the tank has been changed over time. However, the Merkava 3 and 4 are considered to be the best of all. The latest variant of the tank is Merkava 4. There are a lot of improvements that are made to this tank compared to it’s before version.
The Merkava 4 is it’s 120mm smoothbore gun that comes with unique abilities compared to the western tanks. It can fire the Anti-tank missile named Lahat from the gun. This gun’s engagement capability is high, and it can destroy the enemy tanks with ease, even from longer distances.
The tank is equipped with the secondary armament with a machine gun of 1×12.7 mm, and there are two machine guns: 2×7.62 mm, 60 mm mortar, and 12 smoke grenades. This is widely used to carry out warfare in the urban areas where there is a need to use multiple machine guns and a mortar to engage in the concealed fight.
There is a total of 48 shells and missiles that are carried out in this tank. This type of tank’s best feature is the Trophy active protection system that would intercept the projectiles such as shells and missiles with the help of a network of radars and projectile dispensers. This offers a high layer of protection. There is a passive defense that is offered using the thick armor that is found on the tank.
ATMOS 2000 Howitzer
The ATMOS is the latest military equipment that is used by Israel. The ATMOS stands for Advanced Truck Mounted Howitzer System. It is a kind of self-propelled artillery weapon that will be fielded by IDF artillery corps.
There is a 155 mm, and around 52 caliber system mounted on the truck and offers excellent mobility. This system has around 4 crew members. However, the whole system would be accessed automatically and by using computers.
It is easier for the crew members to calculate the firing solution with the Touchscreen computer’s help. The men sitting in the vehicle can load the shell into the firearm to fire. The data is integrated from the aerial assets such as UAV to give the troops ample support for accurately firing the target.
This has the ability to fire around 32 rounds using the 155 mm shells and can fire at the rate of 4 to 9 rounds every minute. This is based on the necessity and the speed at which the crew is loading the shell into the gun. This must be transported using C-130 and is widely used in hostile areas.
F-15I Ra’am
The F-15i is equipped with advanced systems that allow it to fly and attack in all weather conditions, both day and night. Its extremely long flight range and relatively large armament carrying capacity actually make it the Air Force’s strategic bomber.
The F-15i designed to achieve air superiority in any conflicts. However, the F-16 Sufa is not suitable to carry out these kinds of operations but it can be used to keep them as security for the homeland defense.
The F-151 fighters were brought in 1978. Around 25 different variants of strikes have been obtained in 1998, and these are named F-15I Ra’am. These fighter jets have the ability to carry out multi-role fighters and are tailored by the Israeli army as per their requirements.
The F-15i adjusted to the IDF needs as its own equipment to use. The best thing is that it can hold both Israel and American missiles and are best to the American F-15 E. A standard conformal fuel tank would let you carry the fuel without giving up the weapon-carrying stations.
The main reason for using F-15I is that it allows Israel to carry out the strike deep inside the target countries such as Iran instead of carrying out the air refueling. It will have adequate fuel to carry out the weapon and strike the target in Iran with just one mid-air-refueling.
When configuring the strike, it has the ability to carry various other weapons such as GPS, Glide bombs, Popeye, Delilah, laser-guided bombs, and cruise missiles with the jamming pods. It can also carry air-to-air missiles to defend against enemies. However, the F35I will take the place of the F-15I to carry out the ground attack.
Arrow 3 ABM
Many systems are widely used to distract ballistic missiles. The most powerful and effective missile that is used is Arrow 3 ABM. It is highly effective and made to be more famous than the other missile known as the American MIM-104 Patriot ABM. The arrow is the best and powerful missile that is used in Israel.
It is also the savior for them from the enemy countries. Others are terrified because this country has this missile with them, which is dangerous. It has the ability to offer high protection from the ballistic missiles that the neighboring nations have. This works in conjunction with the Green pine radar to fetch the target details. The Green Pine has the ability to search and track the range of around 400 km. This would cover the whole of Israel.
This can also intercept the ballistic missiles over the height of around 100 km. The battery that is held by this missile has the ability to intercept around 5 missiles in just half a minute. Many improvements are done on Arrow 2 and released Arrow 3.
It is compact, and this missile weight has been reduced to over 40 % lesser than Arrow 2. Arrow 3 that has around 25 missiles, was released in the year 2015. There are speculations that this type of system would be used as an anti-satellite system.
Barak 8 SAM
This is the weapon that has been developed as a joint venture of Indo-Israel. They have come up with a new air missile that would equip the needs of both the air force and navy. It is a kind of mid-range SAM that would intercept supersonic cruise missiles. There is a dual pulse motor that would assure you with the missile traveling at the speed of Mach 2+ even at the final stages.
An active homing radar would avoid unnecessary illumination from the radars that are available on the land. This makes the reaction to be quicker and make it challenging for jamming. This will be in along with the MF-Star radar.
However, India uses this missile as a standard SAM for carrying out the wars on the warships. This will refit on the warship that is available now. However, some missiles have extended range variants that do exist. It can increase the range of the missile from 70 to 120 km. The air force and navy widely use it.
Sa’ar 5 corvette
There is a small coastline in Israel with many oil wells and assets protected from the enemies. The neighbors of Israel are getting powerful anti-ship missiles as well as submarines. This type of ship is designed to carry out anti-submarine, anti-air warfare, and anti-surface with ease.
The best thing about this ship is that it would showcase that it can hold just 1100 tons, but it can hold 4000 tons of frigate. It has been upgraded to the MF star and has various things that you can find in it. These include – 1 Phalanx CIWS, 8 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, 16 Barak – 8 SAM, 32 Barak – 1 SAM, and the torpedo tubes.
This type of ship’s uniqueness is that it is considered the smallest of all the warships globally and can fit using 4-Panel AESA radar. The MF-STAR beauty can look for the target and track it accurately and guide to intercept 16 Barak – 8 SAM.
This ship has the ability to defend against aerial threats. Moreover, this ship is considered heavier than the other ships available worldwide when the weapon displacement ratio is considered. Another critical feature of this ship is that it is easier to operate on the blue water and littorals. It can attack as well as defend against threats from other countries.
Iron dome
The Iron Dome is the most prestigious and famous weapon from IDF (Israel Defense force). It is always in the news. It is a counter-rocket artillery mortar missile that will use the Tamir interceptor missile to do the job. The main reason for being the number one weapon is that it has the capability to protect the whole country, i.e., Israel, from all types of attacks such as rockets, artillery shells, and mortars.
When any of these attacks are made on the country’s civilians, this Iron dome weapon will protect all from the attacks. It is doing a successful job for many years now and is considered the best combat air defense system worldwide. It has a range of around 70 km and is designed to crush the rockets in the shorter and artillery shells.
The best thing about this type of system is that it can identify the incoming threats beforehand and intercept the rockets that will have a huge impact on the civilians. It saves a lot of time and money. There are only 10% of rockets that are not guided properly would hit the target.
The iron dome will target 10% of rockets that may hit the target, and the rest of the 90% of rockets would fall on the ground and do not cause any harm the civilians.
The launcher truck has the capability to hold around 20 missiles with a battery that has 3 launch trucks, radars, and a missile unit. These are easier to deploy in any of the areas where there is a conflict.
The best thing is that around 87% of the iron dome systems are successfully launched and helped intercept the rockets. The Iron beam laser system will take the iron dome’s place soon, and it offers 100% coverage to the country from attacks through rockets and artillery systems.
Robotic border patrol
The R&D of the military industries in Israel is coming up with the latest weapons. There is a lot of innovation happening in this country. Israel is known to be a state of conflict since its formation. There are a lot of wars that take place in the country. This is what sharpened their mind and made them use technology in building weapons.
The robotic border patrol is a new type of robotic weapon that is used in the Israeli military. This is an unmanned ground vehicle. It is the first country that uses robotic soldiers by replacing the physical ones at the border with Syria in the north and the Gaza strip towards the south. It is a buggy vehicle that comes with a lot of cameras, weapons, and sensors.
The best thing is that the individual can operate this vehicle miles away and route them to a specific path. The robot usage increases Israel’s defense forces to reduce soldiers’ number for protecting the country. For solider, there is a lot of investment required for food, water, and other things.
However, this Guardium would need a tank full of gas to run. This is used to kill the terrorists who try to get into the country through tunnels. These snake kinds of robots get into the passageways and hit the enemy quarters. The robots will give the exact location of the enemy sites.
Drones
Israel is doing a lot of research on drones. These people are trying to use drones that can reach Iran and track the activities. The Heron TP is the biggest unmanned aerial vehicle that is of an 85-foot wingspan. It is the same as the wing of the Boeing 737.
It can stay in the air for around 24 hours and can carry around 1-ton of weight. It also has the ability to launch air-to-surface missiles. Israel is known to be the first-ever country that will use drones in its operations while fighting with the neighboring countries. Today, drones are taking part in every operation of IDF. The drones are the best weapon for soldiers as it helps them make the right decisions before entering the enemy compound.
Mini spy satellites
Israel launched the first satellite in 1988. One of the well-known and important satellites intended for photography to gather military intelligence is Ofek. A total of eight satellites from the Ofek series have been successfully launched, seven of which are still hovering in space.
According to foreign reports, Iran, one of the biggest threats to Israel and the entire Middle East, is regularly monitored via satellites. It is building mini-satellites that weigh around 661 pounds. The advanced satellites come with high-resolution cameras that can identify an object that is as small as 50 centimeters from miles away.
