Arie Egozi: August 2011 Archives

The latest trend in unmanned air systems (UAS) for special forces is lightweight craft with vertical take-off and landing capabilities.

Whatever their mission, special forces want an independent, covert capability to see over hills and inside buildings.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has been developing a few such systems in recent years. Only two of the new breed of UAS have been revealed, but they clearly illustrate the latest trend.

The first is the Mini Panther tiltrotor UAS. An innovative automatic flight-control system handles the aircraft's transition from the hovering take-off phase to forward flight, and vice versa before landing. The Mini Panther is made to take off and land automatically by a simple click on the operator's console, removing the need for an external pilot. The Panther is powered by three ultra-quiet electric motors.

The Mini Panther's take-off weight is only 12kg and it can fly for two hours.

IAI's second new system is the Ghost, a double-rotor VTOL craft also designed for covert missions by special forces. The Ghost weighs 4kg, has a flight endurance of 30 minutes and can carry a 500g payload.

The unveiling of these two systems suggests others are being developed and IAI will reveal more in the near future. Some will no doubt remain the "private tool" of Israeli elite units.

A request for proposals for the selection of an advanced trainer for the Israeli air force (IAF) will be issued soon. It is expected the final selection will be made early next year.

The two competing aircraft - the Korea Aerospace Industries T-50 and the Aermacchi M-346 - have been extensively evaluated by the IAF.

Sources say the two are very good advanced trainers, and that the selection will be based on "a list of factors".

The winner will be assembled in Israel, in a special assembly line to be built at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) facilities.

IAI and Israel-based Elbit Systems have teamed up to purchase the advanced trainer and sell flight hours to the IAF.

Italy and South Korea have promised to increase "defence business" with Israel if their product is selected - selection by the IAF has a big added value beyond the direct contract.

Sources said Italy has promised subcontracting for Israeli companies in the country's aerospace industry. The nation may also purchase Israeli-made weapon systems.

The sources went on to confirm that Italy has signed a memorandum of agreement for cooperation with Israeli aerospace and defence industries. One part of the agreement details cooperation in the space industry, mainly satellites.

South Korea is also a potential market for Israeli systems. In recent months, the South Korean defence ministry has been evaluating some Israeli air systems, including unmanned air systems.

The cynics say that the Israeli air force has a country and not vice versa. This is of course a wild exaggeration - but it is a symptom of a real, disturbing problem that is of concern to all the parties involved in Israeli aviation

Israel is a small country with a huge air force. The limited airspace is actually controlled by the air force - this leaves very little space for general aviation, but also affects the activities of commercial aviators.

This issue has been on the table for years, but no real solution has been found. In recent years the problem has become even worse, with the growing number of unmanned air systems (UAS) flying around.

The Israeli air force, the UAS manufacturers, the police and other groups are all operating the unmanned platforms - some of which have the wingspan of a Boeing 737 - and this is creating a huge problem for air traffic controllers.

To tackle this problem, a new attempt is being made to achieve an agreement with the air force on a "delegation of air space" basis.

If such an agreement is achieved (which I doubt) non-military air traffic will get extra living space at least part of the time, when fighters, UAS and other flying platforms are not using a specific section of the tiny, congested airspace.

This discussion will continue, and pressure from civil aviation-related bodies is growing. I wouldn't bet on the outcome.

The homeland security conference in Israel on September 11 has attracted a lot of attention - not only because it is on a very meaningful date. The attention is not only because of Israel's need for homeland security, but also for the solutions that have been developed.

The conference, organised by the Israeli Technologies Group, will focus on homeland security on land and at sea.

Col (Res) Amnon Ben David was head of security for the Israeli air force (IAF) and will chair the conference. He said on August 22 that the threats from the sea are increasing all the time, and "any country has to protect its natural resources at sea and strategic facilities located on the shore, where an attack from sea can be staged".

The conference will also deal with the threat to the new Israeli gas reservoirs recently discovered off the Israeli coast.

Not all the systems dedicated to the protection of these reservoirs are discussed openly, but foreign sources said the IAF is operating Heron-1 unmanned air systems (UAS) to protect the reservoirs from possible terrorist attacks by Hezbollah.

The IAF is operating Heron-1 (Soval) UAS with maritime patrol sensors as a "subcontractor" to the Israeli navy.

The maritime Heron is gradually replacing the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Westwind 1124 business jets in Seascan configuration, which have been in operation since 1978.

The maritime UAS are equipped with a similar payload to that carried by the Seascan. This includes an Elta search radar and a Tamam-stabilised long-range optical observation system.

The Heron has an endurance of over 40h at an altitude of 30,000ft (9,144m). It can carry multiple payloads with a total weight of 250kg.

The foreign sources also claim that Rafael Protector unmanned armed boats are also participating in the security duty, and "talk" with the UAS.

UAS operating in conjunction with unmanned vessels are gaining popularity among those responsible for this wide aspect of homeland security.

 

 

 

 

"Safe City". This new buzz word puts smiles on the faces of small unmanned air system (UAS) manufacturers. While homeland security is still part of the big league, projects dealing with the security and safety of people in their home towns seem to be accessible to almost any UAS manufacturer.

In Israel, a world power in the UAS arena, this buzz word is having a strong effect.

Innocon, the Israeli UAS manufacturer, has identified a potential market for its products as part of "Safe City" programmes.

Michael Armon, president of Innocon, said that the need for small, robust UAS' with very efficient payloads has opened a big market to his company. He said: "The need for UAS' that can fly very low and for long hours is in the focus of planners of safe city projects."

Innocon is using a very small and light payload on its mini and micro UAS', that are then offered to the Safe City projects.

The company has completed a series of successful test flights of the MicroCam payload on its Micro Falcon UAS. The MicroCam, weighing only 100g, is manufactured by Nexvision in Israel.

The 6kg Micro Falcon was designed for soldier-level missions of over-the-hill observation. The micro UAS uses Innocon's Navigator Flight Computer, which is responsible for all aspects of the flight including take-off and landing.

Armon said the Navigator frees operators to concentrate on payload tasks exclusively, thereby optimizing mission success. Operating at an altitude of up to 15,000ft (4,572m) the micro UAS can stay airborne for 2h, day or night.

　

　

　

No one in the Israeli aerospace and defence industries is holding his breath.

The visit this week of Gen. Chen Bingde, chief of General Staff of China's People's Liberation Army, in Israel as a guest of the Israeli defence forces (IDF) is a very small step forward but the defence relations between the two countries will have to go through a long process until they can be considered "normal".

The defence ties between the two countries were cut-off completely after Israel was forced by Washington to scrap a deal to sell the Chinese air force a Phalcon-type aerial early-warning system. That was followed by accusations Israel exported weapon systems to China without the approval of Washington.

The Israeli industries lost a big potential market and the visit does not open even a small crack in the heavy door that was slammed a few years ago.

It is very convenient for EL AL, the Israeli airline, to blame high fuel prices for its losses in the second quarter, but this is only one reason - the others are "built in". The strange thing is that no real effort is being made to change the situation.

El AL reported a loss of $19.7 million, compared with a net profit of $14.8 million in the same quarter last year.


Revenue was $530.49 million in the second quarter, up by 5.6% from the same quarter of 2010. Operating costs were $470.15 million (88.6% of revenue), up by 17% from $400.94 million in the corresponding quarter of 2010.


El Al said there was a sharp rise in the average price of jet fuel, 47%, compared with the corresponding quarter of 2010.


It also reported 12% higher passenger traffic on routes to western Europe than in the corresponding quarter of 2010, a 9% rise in passenger traffic to central and eastern Europe and a 37% rise to the CIS. Transatlantic passenger traffic rose by 1%.


The fuel prices did affect the results, as did the US dollar exchange rate, but that is only part of the picture.


El AL has not yet succeeded in joining one of the aviation alliances, and is still operating five and a half days because of a "historic" agreement with religious parties that want the airline grounded on the Jewish Sabbath.


EL AL is also slow to react when a route is losing money. The airline only two weeks ago announced that it is to cease direct flights to Sao Paulo in Brazil in November. This came after the route did not reach the profitability expectations.

This route has lost money since the first flight, but reaction time was slow - very slow in an industry that works on thin profit margins.


This pill will not be easy for the Israeli air force (IAF) to swallow. The debate in the Israeli defence forces ‫)‬IDF) general staff is very fierce, but for the first time there is a chance to settle the debate of how to define close air support.

The role of the IAF in suppressing rocket and shell fire into Israel is again being evaluated, based on the weight of close support fire using new precise rockets developed by Israeli Military Industries (IMI).

Traditionally, the IAF is in charge of suppressing any fire coming from neighbouring countries against civilian and military targets inside Israel.

The development of very precise, low-cost rockets by IMI put the issue on the table some years ago, but opposition from the IAF resulted in keeping the status quo. The opposition was based on concerns that a change will decrease the IAF's procurement budget.

The current debate forms part of the discussion around the new multi-year plan for the IDF. This plan determines the main procurement programmes that will be budgeted.

Until a few years ago, the only precise rocket available to the IDF was the upgraded, trajectory-corrected multi-launch rocket system (MLRS), with a range of 45km (28 miles).

The IMI concept is based on the company's extended range artillery rockets like the EXTRA - jointly developed with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

The trajectory-corrected long-range rocket is aimed at replacing aircraft missions at a range of up to 150km.

The EXTRA, which is actually a guided missile, has a range of over 150km. It will replace air-ground weapons in medium and long-range strikes.

The EXTRA is 3.9 metres long and has a diameter of 30cm. The total weight of the rocket is 430kg, including a 120kg warhead.

As part of the new concept, IMI has developed a new launcher that can be used to launch different types of precise rockets.

Maj. General (ret) David Ivry has performed many national tasks in Israel over the years, among them commander of the Israeli air force.

Ivry said a few days ago that "if a worm can do the job better, use it before you switch to military power". This very experienced and well-connected figure, who was also director general of the Israeli ministry of defence and an ambassador to Washington, among other things, was referring to reports in the international press concerning a computer "worm" created by Israel that slowed down the Iranian nuclear programme.

Cyber warfare in the Middle East has reached a very advanced stage. While countries still develop very deadly weapons - some non-conventional - some of these countries have also developed silent agents, deception tools that may result in leaving triggers un-squeezed.

Israel, of course, did not react to the stories about the worm which allegedly succeeded in entering the computers of the Iranian nuclear facilities. That said, they are a good indicator of the "parallel war" fought in the dark and far from any defined war zone.

Documents leaked to Wikileaks claimed the attack on the nuclear facility in Syria in 2007 was performed by Israel, and that Israeli air force fighter jets penetrated Syrian airspace after Israel managed to take control of the country's early-warning system.

When you read the leaked reports you must pay attention to the wording - Israel, according to these reports, did not blind the Syrian radar but took control of it - it did not have any chance of detecting the Israeli fighters.

However, all of these are of course leaked reports and the wild stories of journalists, but if only some are true the trend is very clear - in order to perform a successful military operation, especially a swift one from the air, it's not enough to have fighter jets with precision bombs. There is a need to manipulate the enemy, deceive it, cause confusion and then attack and get out without meeting any resistance.

Israel destroyed the Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981. Israel, according to press reports, destroyed convoys of arms on their way to the Gaza strip in the dessert of Sudan. Israel, according to further reports, managed to intercept shipments of arms to Hezbollah in Lebanon and bring the ships that carried it to a
waiting "trap".

There is no doubt - cyber warfare goes on in the Middle East on a daily basis, and it is becoming more complex, more sophisticated and more focused.
Part of the "trick" in such military cyber warfare is to let the enemy think that nothing happened. Unlike in many cases of electronic warfare, where the enemy gets an indication that something is wrong, in cyber warfare the aim is to keep radar and early warning sensors' operators calm until the attack is over. The surprise is complete and swift.

While Israel is continuing to purchase and manufacture the most advanced weapon systems, experts in this new type of warfare are looking for the next hole in the shield. This is a war between minds, between concepts that are based on long experience, but also on the fact that the most advanced national facilities of every country rely on computers. The firewalls are there, but these new warriors look for the smallest crack, and if you believe these recent reports, they find them.

Can cyber attacks win a war? Can these attacks become a substitute to real weapon systems? Talking with the experts you get contradictory picture - while some say that this is the shape of wars to come, others say that this is only a complementary asset.
But one thing is in no doubt - cyber warfare is a very powerful tool, and it is being used even as I write these lines.

The coalition air force operating in Libya is a joke. This is not because it lacks the equipment, but because there is no coherent line of command. Israel is watching very closely, and some conclusions have already been made.

The use of coalition forces has gained popularity in the last ten years. When wars do not threaten a specific country, its armed forces play their part in a coalition force - with no great enthusiasm. This is natural, as is the idea behind coalition forces - go through the motions of fighting, try not to be hit and come home safe. The mission is the second or third priority.

Take Libya, for example. What one determined air force would have achieved in one or two weeks, against a primitive army with no significant air power, has been taking months - and still there is no final result. This is a joke that lets Gaddafi play chess when coalition aircraft are flying above.

The coalition force in Libya, like others, is not tailored by experts. The hastily-formed force has no effective common command, and different governments' interests are a factor that affects the results of airstrikes.

The potential firepower over Libya in recent months has been huge, but this firepower was used in a very inefficient manner. With this amount of firepower in the air Gaddafi should have raised a white flag long ago.

The conclusion is clear cut - coalition forces, in their current form, are "going with, feeling without".

Countries that want to be portrayed as concerned for human rights join these forces without any intent to use their military might for decisive blows - most of the time against armies that are ill-equipped and poorly trained.

The Middle East has changed, the only stable country is Israel. In such a situation it seems natural that Washington will rush to assist Israel in case of a real threat - but among those of the defence establishment this historic belief has been shaken.

This will no doubt lead to a gradual change in Israeli policy, which has never put the "retaliation equation" on the table. If this happens the US must understand it - but Washington has often been slow in understanding life in the Middle East.

It has a name, but work is yet to begin. The new international airport near the Israeli resort of Eilat, on the Red Sea, will be named after Ilan Ramon - the Israeli astronaut who died in the Columbia space shuttle disaster in 2003 - and his son Asaf, an Israeli air force F-16 pilot who died in a crash in 2009.

The saga of a new international airport in Eilat has been going on for years. First the location was not agreed between the involved parties, then the idea  to build a joint Israeli-Jordanian airport was mooted. Bureaucracy overshadowed the process.

Now it seems there is a chance that work will begin next year. The Israeli government has approved the project, which will be then be carried out by the Israeli Airport Authority (IAA)

The cost of building the airport in Timna, north of Eilat, is estimated at $500 million.

The new airport will have a 3,600 meter runway that will allow large jets to take off to any destination in Europe.

The planned airport will serve as an alternate to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion. Currently when this airport is closed flights are diverted to Cyprus and Jordan.

A senior source in the Israeli IAA said on August 10 that the plan is to issue an international tender based on a "turnkey" project.

"We want to sign the contract with one organisation and get the keys after it is built and ready for operations," the source said.

The shooting down of a US Chinook helicopter last Saturday in Afghanistan that killed 38 soldiers - 30 Americans and eight Afghans - will accelerate the efforts to equip helicopters with active systems that can protect them from rockets. This is the assessment of sources in Israel.

As reported in Flight, Rafael plans to adapt its Trophy active protection system for use on helicopters and transport aircraft.

The Trophy was originally developed to defend tanks and APCs from rockets and shells. It is already protecting the Merkava-4 main battle tanks operated by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).

The Trophy creates a hemispheric protected zone around the vehicle in which incoming threats are intercepted and defeated. When a threat is detected, identified and verified, the system launches the classified interceptor and it deflects and destabilises the rocket or shell so that it does not hit its target.

While the Israeli Air Force (IAF) helicopters are using EW systems against missiles, there is a need to protect them against weapons such as RPG rockets. These have downed many helicopters in Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan.

Converting the systems will involve downsizing them and changing the way the interceptors are being launched to defeat the incoming threat.

Rafael confirmed that work is being done on adapting the system and that it plans to use integral aircraft sensors to save weight.

The sources said that the main effort is to manufacture enough systems to equip the Merkava-4 tanks, but all signs indicate that the airborne version is on the drawing table.

The airborne version may be especially fit for large helicopters such as the Chinook and the CH-53.

An Israeli company has developed a concept that it claims will allow fighter aircraft to carry additional fuel tanks on their weapon stations.

The FAR Technologies concept is based on utilizing military aircraft weapon stations (on the F-16: stations 3 and 7), and adapting them to carry fuel tanks.

Through this the aircraft's mission envelope is extended, and its operational capabilities expanded.

The adaptation can be carried out at a relatively low cost, as no major changes will be necessary on the aircraft and fuel tanks already in the air force's inventory can be used.

The proposed system uses a stores transfer kit to allow fuel transfer from "dry" weapon stations to dual-function "wet/dry" stations.

The company claims the new system can be installed with no changes to wing structure, and without the structural fatigue problems common in other solutions.

Another benefit, according to the company, is the use of existing fuel tanks or the adaptation of surplus tanks.

According to FAR technologies, the new system will allow up to 40% increased range for ferry flights, up to 25% wider mission radius and up to 100% increased patrol time.
 

　

I'm not sure the image released by Elbit Systems shows the payload configuration of the Israeli air force's (IAF) Hermes-900 unmanned air system (UAS), but it may be an indication of an advanced payload design of an unknown customer.

The Hermes-900 was selected by the IAF in spite of the fact that it already operates the Heron unmanned aerial vehicle, made by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), which has very similar platform capabilities.

The image released recently by the Israeli defence company shows two optical payloads, along with electronic signals intelligence (Elint) and communications intelligence (Comint) antennas. Operational configurations will not necessarily include all the sensors carried in this demo flight.

Under the front section the UAS carries the ELOP D-Compass day/night payload, and its midsection features the AMPS multi-sensor payload. Elint and Comint antennas are arranged on the fuselage and wings.

Elbit Systems is continuing the marketing effort it began in Latin America recently, after the Hermes-900 was selected by the Chilean defence forces.

The Hermes-900 allows flight altitudes of more than 30,000ft (9,144m), has a large payload capacity and flight capabilities in adverse weather conditions. The aircraft is based on the combat-proven Hermes-450 UAV, which has accumulated over 200,000 flight hours.

The Hermes-900 has a wingspan of 15m, is 8.3m long and has a max takeoff weight of 1100kg. Maximum payload weight is 300kg.
　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

The ground units of the Israeli defence forces (IDF) are expanding the use of unmanned air systems (UAS) for their operations.

They are being equipped with battalion- and brigade-level UASs for over-the-hill or over-the-mountain intelligence.

But recently the IDF's artillery corps revealed that it uses bigger UASs, the Elbit System Hermes 450, for its operations. These tactical UASs are still operated by the Israeli airforce (IAF),  but when the operational need arises they   are allocated to the artillery units and serve them directly to enable fast and accurate fire.

The interesting point is that the UASs are operated when the artillery corps uses the Rafael Spike NLOS multi-purpose missile.

This cooperation between UAS units and artillery units is another proof to the "revolution" that the UASs have caused. AN increasing number of ground forces want to have dedicated UASs per mission and they get them because they improve the results.

A UAS carrying a very advanced electro-optical payload is an excellent way to find and allocate targets for the advanced non-line-of-sight missiles.

Spike NLOS has a range of 25km and can receive target data from other airborne platforms. Like other shorter-range members of this missile family, it is also fibre-optic controlled, which enables attack abortion or target change, two very important factors in urban fighting.

The UASs also help to avoid collateral damage, which is a major concern in urban fighting.

The current situation, where the IAF is still the operator of most of the UASs is about to change. The ground forces learn about the advantages they gain by having "in-house" UASs, and this will eventually change the current situation.

The outcome is almost certain - Israel will purchase more F-35s in addition to the 20 that are included in the contract signed last year.

The purchase of the additional stealth fighters is a main issue in the deliberations that take place in recent weeks in the general staff of the Israeli defence forces.

The outcome does not diminish the dilemma. This dilemma is not new but as weapon systems become much more expensive we try to solve it - is the weapon system we buy today and will be fielded in the coming years the answer to future threats?

With a deal price of more than $2.75 billion for the first 20 F-35s, one could expect that this dilemma was evaluated seriously and solved. In reality, this did not happen.

The Israeli government has approved the deal with almost no real debate. The Israeli airforce (IAF) has been spoiled during the years and gets what it wants without real opposition. Signs of opposition from the minister of finance were brushed aside by his colleague from the defence ministry,  and that paved the way to the signing of the huge contract.

Can the Israeli defence ministry really know what the operational need will be in 2016 when the deliveries of the F-35s will begin? This question is even more disturbing when we think about the second batch.

When each F-35 carries a price tag of about $137 million, the question should always be: 'Is it worth the price?'

When trying to solve the above-mentioned dilemma, the special situation in the Middle East should be kept in mind. Israel has the most powerful and most trained airforce in the region. The imminent threat is currently from Iran, a country on the threshold of establishing nuclear weapons.

At the same time, Iran has an airforce with very limited capabilities. Does Israel need a stealth fighter with a $137 million price tag attached to its wings to attack the nuclear facilities? The answer, according to many experts, is negative. They say that the current fleet of fighters operated by the IAF can, with the right EW systems, achieve the same element of surprise.

But dilemmas will stay dilemmas and the IAF will continue to get the lion's share of the Israeli defence budget.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has begun preliminary tests of its new Arrow-3 anti-ballistic missile system.

 

The company will not specify what tests were performed, but they are part of the preparations for a full fly-out test, which will be followed - probably next year - by an intercept test.

 

The name Arrow-3 is misleading, as this is not an upgraded version of the Arrow-2, but a totally new interceptor using kinetic kill instead of proximity warhead detonation as in the operational Arrow-2.

 

Israeli sources said that the Arrow-3 will be the most advanced ballistic missiles interceptor in the world. They said that the missile will be "very energetic" and that this energy will be used to give the missile "super-manoeuvrability" so it will be capable of changing its trajectory to engage another target detected after launch.

 

The sources said that the Arrow-3 will be deployed parallel to the Arrow-2. The type that will be launched will be determined by the fire-control system.

 

The need for a longer-range kinetic-kill interceptor stems from the threat that is posed now from Scud-type missiles with a 400-600 km range, which Syria deploys, and missiles with a 2000 km range, such as the Iranian Shihab-type missiles.

 

The Arrow-3 will be the additional layer in the Israeli multi-layered defence system built to protect the country from rockets and missiles.

 

Israeli sources say that some countries are showing interest in the Arrow system. The US has to approve any export of the system as it participated in funding its development.

The Israeli space industry is trying, so far with not much success, to explain to the government that without special funding the sector's infrastructure is in jeopardy. Israel has become a member of the "space club" mainly because it needed capabilities in space that could not be bought outside its boundaries.

Even the US, Israel's big ally, limited the space capabilities it made available to Israel.

Hundreds of millions of dollars were invested in the capabilities of Israel's spy satellites, with the result that, in space, Israel has an array of very advanced spy satellites and is developing more advanced ones.

This capability is impressive if one looks at the members of the very exclusive club of nations that can manufacture and launch their spy satellites.

Israel has six active spy satellites in space. Some are "young" in terms of space, and others "adult". All six broadcast their images to the ground station somewhere in central Israel. The images they capture while flying in low earth orbit over "interesting" states such as Iran and Syria, but not exclusively those ones, are received here and are put into a long process of data extracting.


Three satellites from the Offeq series, two so-called 'civil' satellites from the Eros series and the Tecsar synthetic aperture satellite,  allow Israel to continuously monitor areas of interest.

But one factor was not taken into account - the Israeli satellites live longer than expected and that has slowed down the pace of manufacturing new ones. This has caused "covert unemployment" in the main facilities that develop and make satellites. The engineers and technicians, mainly at the space division of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) find themselves working in a very frustrating atmosphere.

The plan was to use 'dead' periods for the build-up of new facilities but the budgets were not allocated. It is very hard to keep the development crews in place. A source familiar with the situation said: "We have a real problem. On the one hand the domestic demand for new satellites is small, and on the other we cannot get export licenses for Israeli imaging satellites for each country that wants it."

The solution is new budgets, but as things stand, they are a long way off.