The Defense Department's Armaments Development Authority presents a number of developments that will soon enter service with the Israel Defense Forces, including modern drones, remotely controlled armored vehicles and reconnaissance submarines.
The Administration for the Development of Weapons (ADW) in the Israeli Ministry of Defense has presented a number of modern developments that should be adopted by the Israeli armed forces in the next few years.
All new weapons for operations on land, at sea and in the air, based on advanced technologies, could well revolutionize the way the Israeli army will conduct future hostilities with Hamas and Hezbollah.
Among the new developments presented were the Carmel armored combat vehicle, which will be available in the form of an armored personnel carrier, an armored personnel carrier and a heavy engineering vehicle, a drone firing from the skies with small arms, a smart rifle that fires only after a target has been captured, and unmanned submarines for gathering reconnaissance information and mapping. …
All of these new developments are in advanced planning stages, and some, such as the smart rifle, have even been handed over to the Israeli army, but have not yet been adopted. Prototypes of others, such as the Carmel tank, will only be available "live" in three years.
Among the developments of ADW, which still have to be presented to the public, one can note the "Fast" system, which scatters thousands of small, hidden sensors from the air over enemy territory for total control by reconnaissance means, and the "Sky Eye" drone, which independently scans an area of 10 km2 for subsequent its reconstruction, for example, so that the special forces could receive accurate information about the escape routes of the kidnappers.
Another system allows you to shoot down enemy drones in various ways: by means of electronic warfare, laser beams or fire from conventional weapons. The Department of Defense is developing real-time facial recognition technology that will overcome a well-known flaw: pointing weapons at wanted suspects walking in crowds and trying to disguise their facial features with a beard, hat, etc.
Unmanned submarines - AUV
Despite the fact that the lion's share of the flight hours of the Israeli Air Force is the merit of unmanned aerial vehicles, the pace of development of autonomous means for the fleet is still far from desired. In reality, the selection of uninhabited marine instruments is scarce and relatively limited. But, as expected, a small autonomous and, as a consequence, an unmanned underwater vehicle (AUV) will change this situation. There are already quite a few models of such unmanned underwater vehicles in the world, but the Israeli version is currently being developed in tandem with Ben-Gurion University.
AUV is a miniature submarine used for surveillance and mapping, which can be launched either from the shore, or from a conventional crew submarine or from a surface ship. The AUV will be able to dive quickly almost vertically and move in any direction. According to the Ministry of Defense, the submarine will cost only a third of the cost of foreign analogues.
While work on the AUV continues, development is also underway for a larger version called the Caesaron, which is effectively a real submarine except for the fact that it has no crew. This larger version will be used for covert operations such as intelligence gathering.
Carmel - the tank of the future
After nearly 15 years of idle chatter and, ultimately, wasted administrative work by defense structures in an attempt to find a replacement for the massive and lumbering Merkava tank in the form of a maneuverable armored vehicle more suitable for the modern battlefield, finally this year a three-year plan for development of technological infrastructure for a new platform, named "Carmel".
This next generation armored vehicle will be very different from the Merkava tank, it will serve as a platform for armored personnel carriers or other heavy engineering systems, replacing the current generation of Puma engineering vehicles.
Like the current Merkava Mark IV tank, the new Carmel armored vehicle will have an active protection system in the Trophy style, allowing it to shoot down attacking anti-tank missiles. Under certain conditions, mainly at night, this armored personnel carrier will be able to become "invisible" to enemy sensors and radars, including thanks to an electric auxiliary power plant. The Carmel platform will also have a crewless option.
In any case, its hybrid engine will be quieter and smaller. It will be easier to work on the new platform than on the Merkava tank; it will require a crew of half the size required to service a modern tank, two instead of four. Two operators will act almost like pilots, smart helmets may well simulate a combat situation, and their owners will not need to physically look out of the car at all.
Several large touch screens will be installed in the cockpit, showing everything that the tank "sees" around, and presenting its course based on information from smart cameras and enemy detection systems.
Carmel will be connected to the network along with other tanks in the area, which will allow him to automatically defend not only himself but also the forces accompanying him from missiles.
Mortars and machine guns of the tank can be controlled using joysticks from the cockpit, while they will have unusually large vertical guidance angles, 60 and 80 degrees, if the crew, for example, decides to fire at a specific apartment in a nearby high-rise.
The development of the tank is expected to be completed in three years. Some of his patented technologies, however, will be "exported" to the military, as they are ready, despite the fact that the development of the platform is still ongoing.
Shooting drone
The test laboratory of the Israeli army is already testing the capabilities of one of the most advanced weapons systems, which, according to plans, should enter service no later than the end of 2017.
This relatively small drone carries some kind of small arms, resembling a shotgun or an assault rifle, from which it fires fairly accurately without putting Israeli soldiers at risk and surprising the enemy.
An Israeli start-up company, or, as it is fashionable to say today, a startup, is developing this system slowly but surely, overcoming some of the inevitable problems, such as stabilizing the drone before firing, driving it safely and quietly, and achieving maximum accuracy.
Smart rifle only shoots at correct targets
While ADW calls it "smart shooter" (SMArt SHooter), but this development can have any number of nicknames. No doubt it presents the infantryman with revolutionary new opportunities on the battlefield.
A group of former employees of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has developed the SMASH optoelectronic system for the Tavor and M16 army assault rifles. This system should dramatically increase the likelihood of accurately hitting a target in all modes of fire. The system actually marks the actual target, and if, after pressing the button, the soldier chooses another target, he will not be able to shoot (pull the trigger). The new development should reduce indirect losses among unauthorized persons and increase the likelihood of hitting a specific target. The system has been successfully tested to date.
Unmanned vehicle Yasuron
Israel Aerospace Industries has developed an unmanned vehicle for ADW, capable of flying at speeds up to 150 km / h and carrying a load of up to 180 kg. Thus, it can be used for logistical support of troops, for example, to deliver ammunition, water, fuel and provisions, minimizing slow and dangerous delivery on the ground.
This drone has a range of over 8km and can perform one mission after another while its internal combustion engine is running.
Aeronautics Defense Systems is in parallel developing a drone designed for similar purposes, but with a battery-powered electric motor and capable of carrying up to 90 kg at a speed of 75 km / h.
This drone will be able to deliver special cargo at low altitude for small formations conducting combat operations. After presenting two such unmanned vehicles and their ability to perform their tasks, ADW is currently considering the possibility of their further refinement and development of application schemes.
Infantry and border security robots
Remotely controlled vehicles (ROVs) have been in operation in the Israeli army for many years, but have not become widespread, however, the Israeli fleet cannot boast of having a large number of remotely controlled surface and underwater vehicles.
One of the difficulties when operating DUMs in open areas, for example, in the mountains or on outcrops of rocks, is to ensure the accuracy of firing. ADW is currently testing several SAMs at the same time, some of which have already been transferred to the army.
These SAMs are used in a number of scenarios such as engineering and logistics tasks, infantry support in urban combat, and day-to-day border security tasks.
“We are developing various types of weapons, including even training dogs for the Okets unit, instead of buying them abroad,” explained ADW Director General Daniel Gold. "We are trying to find solutions for the military, dealing with a variety of threats, from violations of law and order to the protection of land borders and missile launches, from the conduct of covert operations by the Israeli army to prevent the strengthening of Hamas and Hezbollah to total defense and preventive control of cyberspace."
