The programme was prepared for air forces that do not have the money to purchase an aerial tanker.
Arie Egozi: September 2011 Archives
Previously there were only indications, subtle ones. Now it is said openly - Rafael, one of Israel's leading manufacturers of weapons systems, has decided to develop a new line of products fully suited for use on unmanned air systems (UAS).
In the past, a very recent past, Rafael has said that it "adapts" some existing weapons systems for use on UAS.
The Israeli company has developed some very advanced weapons systems, such as the Python-5 and Derby air-to-air missiles, the Spice add-on kit for bombs, the Spike missile that is currently used on helicopters, and others that are still classified.
The growing use in the world of armed UAS for different types of missions has spurred the evaluation of the international market for these downsized weapons systems.
Israel has never revealed any programmes of armed UAS. Foreign sources have reported on Israeli UAS performing "surgical" attacks on targets in the Gaza Strip.
Rafael has downsized full-size intelligence-gathering payloads carried by fighter aircraft for use on UAS. The best example is the company's Recce-U, a downsized version of its Reccelite tactical reconnaissance pod.
The change is natural. As UAS become direct substitutes to manned aerial platforms for many types of missions, the need for dedicated "tools" is obvious.
It can be assessed that the Israeli company, with its vast, almost unparalleled experience in developing very special weapons systems, will make a major effort to answer that growing need.
Technical flaw, human error or terror act? Each of these possible causes of jet fuel contamination should turn on a big red warning light in the offices of security chiefs in airports around the world.
That is the recommendation of Israeli aviation security experts who investigated fuel contamination that affected the operation of Ben-Gurion international airport in Tel Aviv in May.
The investigation into the jet fuel contamination at Ben-Gurion on May 5 showed that the source of the unidentified substance was from outside the airport. This very general assertion is worrying.
The investigation committee that was formed by the ministry of transport says in its report that no aircraft was refuelled with the contaminated fuel, after the filtration system managed to block it.
The committee recommended that a second jet fuel tank farm should be built in the airport, with separate refuelling lines.
The fuel contamination caused the immediate stoppage of refuelling. Airlines were instructed to refuel at airports in Cyprus and Jordan.
Refuelling at Ben-Gurion was resumed on May 10 after it became clear that the refuelling system in the airport was clean.
The fact that even after the extensive investigation no-one knows exactly what happened is something that calls for more action to avoid such incidents, whatever the cause.
The experts say that jet fuel tank farms are the "soft belly" of many airports around the world.
At most of them they are located outside the fenced perimeter of the airport, and that makes them an easier target for terrorists.
Is the way helicopter pilots operate in poor visibility about to change?
Tests that are planned in the coming months will determine whether this will happen.
A very advanced uncooled IR sensor developed by Elbit Systems for its passive flight system will be test flown before the end of the year.
The passive flight system is being developed for armed forces' utility helicopters. It will enable pilots to see the outside world in a 220° by 40° view in high resolution.
In bad weather, the system will show the contour of the ground to prevent the helicopter hitting the ground.
The system presents the outside world along with flight data and other relevant data through a very advanced pilot helmet.
According to the Israeli company, the system will include not only the advanced uncooled IR sensor, but additional ones. These will "build" a sufficient picture of the outside world to enable the pilots to function in a high degree of safety.
Elbit says that the system will solve a major problem facing helicopter pilots, "in the best way the technology allows at this point".
The development of the system is another effort by Elbit Systems to use all its technological resources to supply the pilots with the tools for safe operation under most of the conditions that they might face.
If there was scepticism about the initiative, it disappeared. The need simply eliminated it. The USA needs it, other fighting armies need it. Active protection on low-flying aircraft is an urgent operational requirement.
When Flight exposed a few months ago that Rafael plans to adapt its Trophy active protection system for use on helicopters and transport aircraft, some experts raised their eyebrows.
A few days ago, while visiting one of Rafael's main facilities, the issue was raised again. The senior company official was very clear that this time "there will be active protection for low-flying aircraft, simply because there is no alternative".
These words proved again that the Israeli company is already working on adapting the technology used in its Trophy system aimed at protecting tanks and APCs from rockets and shells for aerial use.
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 Israeli air force 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 launched to defeat the incoming threat.
The adaptation process is not simple but as the Rafael official put it, "there is no alternative". And when this is the situation, a company such as Rafael is at its best. Rafael managed to field the "Iron Dome" system that protects Israeli cities from rockets, three years after a decision to develop it was taken.
Israel needs more intelligence satellites, and some are in the design and production process.
Unlike in the past, some of the new ones will be in the mini and micro classes.
The demand for these visual data collectors orbiting Earth will be greater than ever before.
Intelligence about hostile and dangerous countries, such as Iran, is useful when it supplies such fine detail.
The mission in the case of optical satellites is on the shoulders of Elop, a division of Elbit Systems.
In the division's labs in Rehovot, scientists are stretching the technology to build the next-generation Jupiter high-performance space camera.
This system will enable Israel to launch small intelligence satellites that offer excellent resolution.
Elop has made the optical payloads for all of the Israeli intelligence satellites launched so far.
According to Elop general manager Adi Dar, the Jupiter is intended for installation on micro and mini platforms.
He added that the new space camera payload is optimised for high-resolution images.
The new system will allow very detailed high-value target investigation, definition of small and discreet vehicles, objects and structures, high-quality intentions and warnings (I&W) and situational awareness. I&W is a process of strategic monitoring that analyses indicators and produces warnings.
The advanced camera contains both panchromatic (PAN) and optional multi-spectral (MS) imaging capabilities. By sharing a common optical assembly it is capable of simultaneous operation and the creation of PAN, MS and pan-sharpened images.
According to Elop, from an altitude of 600km the Jupiter camera provides very high spatial resolutions of 0.5m resolution (PAN) and 2m resolution (MS) while covering a swath of 15km.
When neighbours become angry, frustrated, impatient or even violent, you tend to look over the fence to be ready for any possible outburst.
This is exactly what happens now in the Middle East, and that forces Israel to have the capability to see what is going on in its neighbours' yards, and sometimes in their living rooms.
This is one reason why the Elop division of Elbit Systems is upgrading the capabilities of its long-range oblique photography system (LOROPS), which is marketed under the name Condor-2.
The extra capabilities are aimed at allowing Israel and other countries to get stand-off intelligence under all conditions.
Elop general manager Adi Dar confirmed that the system is being upgraded so that it can operate above the 100km range that is the official operational range.
He was not ready to give specific performance details but said that the new range will be "tens of kilometres better".
Dar also confirmed that the company is improving the night capability of the system.
The Condor-2 is housed in a 300-gallon pod, which contains the camera with an array of CCD detectors in the focal plane, a video processing unit and a scanning mirror. The peripheral units such as the data link transmitter, digital VTR, air conditioning unit, power supply and recce management unit are also installed in the pod.
The LOROPS has day and night capabilities that are interchangeable during missions.
The Condor-2 EO/IR generates simultaneous high resolution visible and IR images, covering wide areas in a short time span.
Dar said that the main advantage of the oblique photography system is the reduced risk to the aircraft by enabling photography at higher altitudes and longer stand-off distances. "Stand-off intelligence is becoming a very high priority operational requirement."
Israeli sources have pointed out recently that changes in countries such as Egypt and Syria create the stand-off operational need.
The fully autonomous system can operate from a wide variety of platforms including supersonic fighter aircraft, business jets and maritime patrol aircraft at altitudes of up to 65,000ft.
The combination is a winning one. You take an unmanned air platform and put on it a sensor, a very advanced one. The result - a tool for the battle arena that can save many lives.
This effort has already produced some very interesting combinations, but Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has only unveiled one so far. This is not because the company is against boasting about its successful programmes, but because the initial client, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), is against.
Recently, IAI has admitted for the first time that it is developing passive sensors that allow aerial platforms to locate the source of hostile ground fire.
The company has partially unveiled the OTHELLO - the Optical Hostile Fire Source Locator.
The OTHELLO, developed by the ELTA division of IAI, is a passive optical fire locator that detects and precisely locates the sources of hostile fire (anti-tank guided missiles, RPG, cannon fire and gunfire) on the battlefield.
The system automatically transfers the data to weapons systems that can take out the threat.
Ground fire has become a major threat to slow low-flying aircraft, mainly helicopters.
The Israeli company has not released details on the versions that are tailored for aircraft.
But knowing the way the Israeli defence industries work, there is no doubt that this is only the very small tip of the iceberg.
The fast suppression of ground fire aimed at helicopters became an operational requirement during the Second Lebanon War.
Sources say that all the lessons from that war were implemented in the new systems.
Israel's prime minister and president will have to continue travelling on state missions using a "regular" passenger aircraft belonging to one of the Israeli airlines.
These chartered flights were about to become history, if a plan to purchase a dedicated VIP aircraft for these official flights had been implemented.
The big demonstrations in Israel in recent weeks, in which the crowds demanded a major change in the government priorities affecting the cost of living, have put the VIP aircraft programme on hold.
A year ago, the Israeli ministry of finance issued the RFI that should have started the process aimed at selecting a dedicated VIP aircraft to fly the Israeli president and prime minister to visits in foreign countries.
Currently, these flights are performed by one of the Israeli airlines, and in the past by an Israeli air force 707.
The RFI included three options - a dedicated aircraft for these official flights, a dual-use aircraft that will be operated by an airline between the official flights, and a long-term agreement with an airline that would commit to adapting one of its aircraft to the required configuration at short notice.
Sources say that this is "not the right time" to make a decision, in spite of the fact that each chartered aircraft performing the state flights undergoes a "mini conversion", mainly of the passengers cabin, and that is reflected in the bill the airline that is selected by a tender submits to the relevant ministry.
The first decision to install countermeasures was made in 2002, but disagreements between ministries slowed the process to a halt.
Earlier this week, however, a threat alert generated a number of "precautions" - and a decision to expedite the installation process.
The alert coincided with a certification process launched by the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority. When this process is complete, the Elbit Systems C-MUSIC countermeasures system will be ready for installation.
The 2002 decision was to use the Israel Aerospace Industries flare-based Flight Guard system as an interim solution, but this did not come to pass.
Adi Dar, general manager of Electro-Optics (ELOP) - the Elbit Systems division which developed C-MUSIC - said the certification will be applicable for use on Boeing's 737, 747 and 777 and Airbus's A-320.
C-MUSIC is based on the MUSIC system - a direct infrared countermeasure
for military aircraft and helicopters, which causes missiles to veer off course by firing a laser beam.
Dar said the system's reliability, rapid response and ability to deal with multiple threats makes C-MUSIC one of the most advanced systems of its kind in the world today.
According to the Israeli government decision, C-MUSIC will be installed on Israeli aircraft.
After certification is complete, the Israeli government will then have to prove that even after long delays it is serious about its own resolutions.
The threat has been real for years. The experts say now is the time to be ready to foil it.
A change of generations? A leap forward in technology? The definitions can be different, but one thing is sure - hovering platforms are taking over the missions of aerostats.
Hovering air vehicles (HAV) are becoming more efficient and there is a very clear operational trend to use them instead of good old aerostats.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a leading developer of unmanned air systems (UAS), is a natural source for advanced HAVs.
The company recently highlighted its Electric Tethered Observation Platform (ETOP) as a direct substitute for tactical observation aerostats, deployed along borders and near sensitive installations.
IAI is in the final phase of developing the ETOP, which will become a "family" of very advanced systems in different sizes.
ETOP is an electrically powered, tethered, airborne platform that can be used for observation, surveillance and other applications.
ETOP can either be deployed from a static station, a maritime platform or from a moving ground vehicle. It can carry a payload of up to 20kg and operate up to a maximum altitude of 100m.
ETOP combines an electrically powered aerial platform and a ground system that includes the means for automatic deployment, cables, and a mission management unit.
"We see a meaningful potential market for these systems, mainly in countries that are operating aerostats, but not only," an IAI source said.
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