A Perspective on Israel By Uri Sadot Israel’s stock of operational unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as outlined in The Military Balance 2015, is composed of three intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance squadrons: Hermes 450, Searcher Mk II, and Heron. Additional UAVs are operated by the army and navy in distinct units or through integration into regular units. Nearly in its entirety, Israel’s UAV fleet is indigenously manufactured. Research, development, and production of innovative drone technology remains a high priority in Israel – both for domestic use and for export purposes – and indeed, Israel continues to be one of the world’s leading developers and vendors of UAV technology. Introduction 1 Research, development, and production of innovative drone technology remains a high priority in Israel and indeed, Israel continues to be one of the world’s leading developers of UAV technology. PROLIFERATED DRONES
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A Perspective on Israel - Proliferated Dronesdrones.cnas.org/.../05/A-Perspective-on-Israel-Proliferated-Drones.pdfUAVs have played a significant role in Israel’s military planning
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A Perspective on
Israel
By Uri Sadot
Israel’s stock of operational unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as outlined in The Military
Balance 2015, is composed of three intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
squadrons: Hermes 450, Searcher Mk II, and Heron. Additional UAVs are operated by the
army and navy in distinct units or through integration into regular units. Nearly in its
entirety, Israel’s UAV fleet is indigenously manufactured. Research, development, and
production of innovative drone technology remains a high priority in Israel – both for
domestic use and for export purposes – and indeed, Israel continues to be one of the
world’s leading developers and vendors of UAV technology.
Introduction
1
Research, development, and production of innovative drone
technology remains a high priority in Israel and indeed, Israel
continues to be one of the world’s leading developers of UAV
technology.
PROLIFERATED DRONES
UAVs have played a significant role in Israel’s military planning since the early 1970s, and
their use as decoys in the Beka’a Valley operation at the onset of the 1982 Lebanon War
was heralded by many as unprecedented. UAVs have continued to be an integral part of
Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) operations for ISR missions, for targeted strike capacity, and
for strategic contingency planning.
Other than budgetary constraints and issues of scale, there are few noteworthy
limitations expected of Israel’s continued development, acquisition, and use of drone
technology in the coming years. The use of UAVs has become integral to IDF peacetime
operations and is broadly considered by military planners to be highly effective. Drone
operation practices have also been vetted by Israel’s supreme court and its broader legal
system and are widely accepted by the Israeli public, which prefers the use of unmanned
technologies and pinpoint strikes that reduce collateral damage over the deployment of
Israel’s conscript military.
Most of Israel’s UAV technology comes from local military industries, with limited imports
of UAV parts from industries in allied countries in Europe and the United States. Israel’s
internal suppliers market is largely composed of state-owned or partially state-owned
companies. Some of Israel’s leading manufacturers are Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI),
Elbit Systems, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, and Aeronautics Defense Systems.
Israel’s various companies operate in a competitive environment for both domestic and
global contracts. In recent years, Israel has topped global export charts, selling UAV
technology to a broad array of countries.
Technology
2
Israel exports roughly $500 million worth of UAV-related products
per year, with an expected annual increase of 5 percent to 10
percent over the next five years.
According to a 2013 Frost & Sullivan report, Israel exports roughly $500 million worth of
UAV-related products per year, with an expected annual increase of 5 percent to 10 percent
over the next five years. Some of this growth, the report cites, will occur due to
regulatory constraints that American competitors are subject to, which create a vacuum
that Israeli firms are well-positioned to fill. At present, UAV sales compose some 10
percent of Israel’s defense exports, with Israel’s primary export destinations being Europe
(50.2 percent), the Asia-Pacific (33.3 percent), and South America (11.2 percent). North
America ranks fourth with 3.9 percent of Israel’s overall sales.
While Israeli companies often compete among
themselves over tenders, the relatively small size of
Israel’s defense community allows for occasional
cooperative endeavors, especially when facing strong
international competition. According to Elad Aharonson,
director of Elbit’s UAV division, Israel’s drone industry is
mindful to international competition, but not
particularly troubled by top-end developments made in the United States. Classified
technologies such as Northrop Grumman’s X-47B are not intended for export, and
therefore not expected to disturb markets. In addition, he notes that Israel’s industries are
focused on niche products, rather than large-scale platforms, as those would require
massive industrial capacity and investment.
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In the foreseeable future, Israel will continue to use drone technology for a wide range of
operational applications. As a result of constant development, drones are getting cheaper,
more versatile – varying in size according to mission needs – and more capable of
operating at longer ranges. The high costs involved with manned platforms and the low
tolerance for casualties in Israeli society are driving drone development toward
substitution for manned aerial operations, wherever those can be replaced. The relative
dispensability of drones creates new tactical possibilities for the IDF, such as real-time
Strategic Implications
collection of visual intelligence by ground units, rapid and targeted strike capabilities, and