Israel demonstrates new tactics of using robots and dronesIsrael is confidently among the top five countries in the world in terms of the number of innovations and high-tech developments.
There are about 4-5 thousand startups based in the country, today this number is second only to Silicon Valley in the USA. At the same time, Israeli developments were ahead of American ones in a number of indicators, including in the military-industrial sphere.
Israel is the main supplier of military equipment to many countries, and the export of Israeli weapons in 2021 reached a record level of $ 11.3 billion, the country's Defense Ministry recently reported. Israel's defense industry is likely to break the record again in 2022, as exports of arms and military equipment (IWT) continue to grow.
Foreign clients are considering purchasing Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for both attacks and intelligence gathering. During recent exercises, the IDF (Tzva-Haganah le-Israel, Israel Defense Forces) demonstrated the ability to quickly detect and destroy enemy forces using a set of high-tech weapons. It is noteworthy that Israel plans to integrate more and more robots on the battlefield of the future as part of the new military doctrine.
The IDF presented the latest methods of fighting in urban conditions in a combat shooting simulator for the commanders of foreign armies. The army held a demonstration at a military facility in southern Israel during a conference on military innovation.
According to the Walla News portal, the simulation began with a pinpoint attack by armed drones, while other UAVs collected intelligence about enemy objects. The report says that the planes dropped 16 bombs on a simulated enemy target in just one minute, while electronic warfare systems were activated to disable enemy drones.
The IDF also demonstrated such innovative weapons as the Iron String laser-guided mortar shell. All IDF infantry units are now equipped with powerful high-precision Iron Sting mortar ammunition. The high-tech weapons are equipped with GPS and laser guidance, which allows troops to hit targets with unprecedented accuracy. The IDF says that Iron Sting offers unique features that are not available anywhere else in the world. The system was developed by the Israeli defense company Elbit.
Mortar ammunition is designed to hit targets both in open terrain and in urban conditions. Its guidance system was built to achieve high accuracy while minimizing collateral damage. The Iron Sting was successfully tested in 2021 and gradually began to be used in all divisions. The Israeli Defense Ministry says the new system will revolutionize ground combat and give IDF units effective firepower.
In addition, advanced missiles capable of hitting enemy forces hiding in buildings and tunnels were launched. The army has expanded its firepower by developing high-precision systems, a senior artillery officer said. According to him, some of these striking features are unique to Israel. The army sent an elite Ghost unit, a Golani battalion, tank and artillery units, as well as sappers to these maneuvers. The troops were supported by fighter jets, attack helicopters, UAVs of various sizes and robots.
Recently, the IDF has been preparing to revolutionize its military operations by using numerous robots in combat operations. The project is in full swing and in a few years, as the Israeli command suggests, it will change the way the war is waged.
The fighting will radically change in 10 years, according to Brigadier General Oded Basyuk, who will soon become the chief of operations of the IDF. "The battlefield will look different," he said in a comment to the Walla portal.
Oded Basyuk was chosen as the head of a group of experts tasked with planning combat operations using robots. It is reported that a secret document that he presented to the IDF command suggests the widespread use of semi-autonomous robots in the air, at sea and on land.
"Various robots will work in groups, not individually," Basyuk said. According to him, the scale of the use of robots in combat will be very wide. He noted that some projects will be launched in two years, but declined to give details. Basyuk added that in a few years, the IDF will deploy dozens and hundreds of robots and UAVs of various types that will work in groups. The report says that the army has already approved the purchase of dozens of heavy drones as part of this plan.
The vision of the current Chief of the IDF General Staff, Aviv Kohavi, calls for the creation of a deadly army based on information that deploys autonomous military equipment. According to Basyuk, this superarmy will focus on the rapid destruction of enemy forces and means.
The IDF is already integrating robotics, UAVs and other advanced technologies into its intelligence operations. The army uses high-tech robots for centralized intelligence gathering, and also uses artificial intelligence to quickly detect targets for preemptive strikes.
Israel made extensive use of these technological tools during the recent conflict in Gaza, according to IDF officials after the end of hostilities. Among other things, during the military operation in Gaza, the army developed a new way to detect rocket launchers.
The Ghost unit uses unique combat techniques to achieve exceptional results in simulating a raid on a Lebanese village, Walla reports. This unit has achieved exceptional results in exercises simulating a battle with Hezbollah (a Lebanese Shiite paramilitary organization).
During the exercises in early October, the "Ghost" fighters raided a village in northern Israel to reproduce the scenarios of the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israeli soldiers were hiding in narrow alleys and bushes, imitating well-armed enemy forces.
The combat methods and advanced technologies of the "Ghost" allowed him to surpass all other units participating in the exercises. It is reported that the pace of the assault and the speed of identifying enemy targets were much higher than the usual ones provided for by current standards.
Last month, the Ghost unit impressed the visiting chief of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milli, with the use of robots and drones to neutralize threats in a demonstration of military operations in urban conditions. General Milli visited Israel to meet with senior officials of the Israeli Defense Ministry and the IDF command. Following the talks, it was stated that Israel and the United States would work together to counter "any scenario on the Iranian front," the Hamal news service reported.
Vasily IvanovVasily Ivanovich Ivanov is a journalist.
