Israel Aerospace Industries Presents Groundbreaking Developments for Land Warfare That Will Change the Battlefield of the Future

Israel Aerospace Industries does not rest for a moment. As these lines are being written, or whenever you choose to read them, IAI is constantly working on developing tomorrow's breakthroughs. The knowledge and experience of the best minds employed by the company have proven themselves countless times in space, in the air, and on land. This is one of the reasons why IAI chose to establish its Land Division, part of ELTA, which provides comprehensive solutions based on the capabilities and products of IAI as a whole to meet the needs of ground forces. The expansion in Land Domain activity came about as a result of understanding the need to develop and implement innovative advanced technological solutions for soldiers in the field. The aim was to bring IAI’s experience and knowledge gained over the years in the Air, Sea and in Space down to the Land.

In recent years, the best professionals in the Land Division have come up with innovative developments that have aroused the intense curiosity of senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officials, lead to actual projects, along with that of armies in countries around the world.

The world of Intelligence and Multidisciplinary Sensing
"The Land Division was established with a clear goal: to implement IAI’s vision also in the domain of Land Combat Systems," says Zvika Yarom, VP & GM, Land Systems Division, ELTA IAI, in an interview with our reporter. Yarom discussed the qualities & expertise in the Land Division he is heading, which currently employs more than 600 workers.

"At the heart of our activity at IAI in general and the ELTA Land Division in particular, is the integrated activities with the IDF and the Ministry of Defense on the one hand, and our ongoing efforts to expand our strengths by exporting to armies and other organization worldwide. This is the main guidelines of the root we follow. Our vision is to offer the most complete package of solutions and provide combatants with the most advanced technologies."

To what extent has the Land Division become a significant factor in the Israeli defense industry?
"The IAI ELTA Land Systems Division has become in a relatively short time an important factor within the Israeli defence industry distinguished group, evidenced for that is the fact that we have recently won several major tenders for Ministry of Defense projects. As an integral part of the IAI, which for good reason is considered to be Israel’s major and largest defense industry, we have become an important center of excellence and strength for the Land Domain. Our Division deals with many diverse fields, first and foremost in the domains of multi mission situation awareness and multidisciplinary sensing. The considerable reputation we have gained as a result of remarkable technologies that serve the Air and Sea and their applicability’s to the land forces is a notable achievement, proving that ELTA is a key player, and has a profound impact on operational capabilities."

Autonomy based on artificial intelligence
The best way to illustrate the wide scope of the Land Systems Division is to elaborate on some of the most advanced tools that have been developed and fielded in recent years.

Drone Guard is a Multi-Layer system in operational use providing Detection, Identification, and Mitigation of drones and gliders activity, these platforms are becoming increasingly major threat on the battlefield. Another well-known system is the WindGuard (the ELM-2133 radar), a digital radar used to locate and track Anti-Tank missiles. The advanced technology used by the, operational since 2011 lead to saving many lives. Thus lead its developers the earn the MOD prestigious Israel Defense Prize.

Additional Land Systems Division development that inspires pride is the IAI ELTA Land Systems Division Carmel, chosen by Israel’s Ministry of Defense as the IDF’s future armored fighting vehicle system. Carmel is intended to be used by future ground forces combat units, supported by a combination of Manned & Unmanned ground and air systems/platforms. Carmel’s concept is based on a Platform/System having autonomous capabilities that is considered groundbreaking on a global scale. It includes a system that will give decision-makers greater flexibility in the deployment of fighting forces, and more importantly, minimize the risk to the lives of the ground forces while improving lethality.

The Land Division at the heart of company innovation
Other examples that Yarom spotlights are systems for detecting small arms fire (SADS)[M1][GL2] mounted on armored vehicles or deployed on ground locations is a world innovative fused Optical and Acoustic system generating accurate real time detection and allocation the source of the fire. Such systems supplies the combat teams’ reliable information in the field. Additional example is Carmel 2, which brings together an operational unit of Manned & Unmanned platforms, integrated into a complete array that provides a set of revolutionary and wide-ranging solutions with significant advantages on the battlefield.

How is the modern battlefield different compared to that of five or ten years ago?
"The modern battlefield have radically changed. If in the distant past, the battlefield changed every few centuries, and then every few decades, today the battlefield changes from year to year and even from day to day. This is one of the reasons why we repeatedly updated our systems, and more importantly, to update our basic concepts, analyzing the types of threats and prioritizing them. We should not forget that the development cycles of these tools and systems are usually long and may take several years. We live in a world that requires flexible solutions, and we know how to provide systems that can be updated and improved over short periods of time. The modern battlefield is racing forward, and at IAI, we must constantly be one step ahead of it and that what we are doing."

You are going south to set up a new factory in Beer Sheva. How soon?
"We are very happy and proud about the opportunity to establish an innovative plant in Beer Sheva, while investing several tens of millions of shekels. For us, this is a direct continuation of Ben-Gurion's vision to strengthen the Negev, a vision we share. It is a privilege for us to bring considerable knowledge and expertise to Israel’s ‘capital of the south’, and to produce the best of the products of our company there. At ELTA, we have a special relationship with the residents of the region since our ELTA’s radar installed as a major part of Iron Dome system, radar which detects and identifies rocket and missile threats and protects the brave people of the south, it is the fruit of our development. Of all our varied activities, we are most proud of the fact that we are helping protect those citizens of Israel who live in the south of the country."

What can we expect?
"In parallel with a worldwide trend that is increasingly moving toward autonomy & artificial intelligence, there is, at the same time, no escaping preparations within the framework of systems that can operate as independently as possible, with minimal risk to the fighting forces. This is where we are investing the bulk of our development efforts. As mentioned, there is much interest in these areas from armies & organizations around the world. We are making progress abroad, and will continue to invest substantial efforts and resources to provide innovative systems of the highest standards and in accordance with the operational needs arising from the current & future battlefield."

In cooperation with IAI