Arie Egozi: March 2012 Archives

The most common use of unmanned air systems (UAS) is observation. To look far, day and night, and see the details that are needed to "incriminate" a target so that a weapons system can be directed towards it.

 

The Israeli payload manufacturers are not allowed to boast about all their achievements, but from time to time they get permission to highlight some of them, and these are really impressive.

 

In a recent visit to ELOP, the electro-optics division of Elbit Systems, I learned that variants of a new, very advanced optical system developed by the division will give the Israeli company's payloads for UAS unprecedented night capabilities.

 

The Long View CR system provides a combination of target acquisition and observation capabilities.

 

According to Adi Dar, general manager of ELOP, the extremely lightweight and cost-effective system combines a very long-range continuous optical zoom FLIR, long-range day cameras, an integral eye safe laser range finder, GPS and a magnetic compass - all in one, compact configuration.

 

Dar added that the system provides "phenomenal" results when operated at night. "The images can be compared to those of digital black and white TV."

 

The basic system was designed for ground operations, but Dar confirmed that variants "using the same FLIR breakthrough" technology will be fitted to the different UAS made by Elbit Systems and to others.

 

The new breed of payloads will enable the UAS to take a much more effective part in any military operation, and around the clock.

 

Judging by the performance of other optical systems made by ELOP, I can say that for the enemy there is nowhere to hide, day and night.

 

This is true for systems carried by a soldier that look like a beefed-up binocular, through the UAS payloads and up to barrel-sized systems that are carried by the Israeli Air Force's reconnaissance aircraft.

Airports tend to make some people stressed. Some feel annoyed with the security checks, others are simply afraid to fly.

 

Therefore incidents in airports are not a rare thing. And there are of course "contributing" factors.

 

Earlier this week, we learned about some of the factors that contribute to the tense atmosphere some feel when they enter an airport terminal.

 

The majority of emergency incidents occurring in airports are related to drunken and aggressive passengers, according to the preliminary conclusions of the first in-depth study of European airports, conducted by the EU-funded Behaviour Modelling for Security in Airports (Bemosa) consortium.

 

The report, which is based on 360 interviews held at eight European airports, found that major security actions taken by airport security employees relate to the confiscation of illegal items and dealing with unruly passengers.

 

Based on the interviews, Bemosa researchers compiled a list of episodes representing different situations in which security agents were required to make a decision and act.

 

The report indicates that 131 of the 369 reported critical incidents that represented a direct threat to safety stemmed from passengers carrying prohibited articles, including knives, guns and ammunition.

 

Ninety incidents involved unruly and disruptive people, mainly drunken passengers. These incidents caused major disruption to security procedures as security personnel reported they often needed help from co-workers or the police when facing drunken people.

 

"The results illustrate the complexity of actual behaviour in airports. There is a definite need to improve security decision-making abilities as there is a gap between procedures and actual behaviour when a threat is recognised," said Prof Alan Kirschenbaum, from the Technion in Israel, who coordinated the research.

 

"Security decisions tend to be inconsistent as employees regard most threats as false alarms, have never faced a real threat and have pre-biased estimates of what constitutes a threat," he said.

 

The report indicates that airport employees do not rely primarily on procedures or rules and more than one-third admitted they exceeded or bent the rules when the situation called for it.

 

The interviews also revealed that employees' concerns are not perceived to be terror related, but are primarily passenger related.

They get more autonomy, they get more endurance, they will get artificial intelligence.

 

The unmanned air systems (UAS) made by Israeli companies will become more independent to achieve one main goal - to dramatically shorten the sensor-to-shooter time.

 

These operational capabilities  are connected directly to the new buzzword of armed forces - Terrain Dominance.

 

This is the ability for a commander to know exactly what is going on in the area from where an attack of any type may occur, and to suppress it immediately.

 

To do that, the commander needs tools and one very important one is the UAS. The many sensors that are being installed on different Israeli-made UAS and their capabilities are indicative of the trend.

 

However, in my recent visits to the companies that manufacture some of the more advanced UAS, I heard again and again that there is a very accelerated process to make the UAS more autonomous.

 

One step in this direction is making the external pilot of the unmanned platforms  operated by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) redundant in two to three years.

 

The external pilot has been in charge of the take-off and landing of medium and heavy UAS operated by the IAF. After take-off, control is transferred to the ground station.

 

Some of the UAS operated now by the IAF already use automatic take-off and landing (ATOL) systems and the others will be equipped with them.

 

The ATOL is only one feature that is incorporated into the new UAS. Another one is "sense and avoid" systems, such as a special TCAS that will allow the Israeli-made UAS to fly in civil ATCs.

 

The Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron -TP UAS can already get permission to fly in civil airspaces in France and Germany.

 

So, if you follow the effort, one thing is clear - greater autonomy to UAS will result in many operational benefits.

 

After 40 years of operating UAS, Israel is going very fast to the point where the unmanned platforms in the air, on the ground and at sea will detect, identify and destroy the enemy with "very great autonomy".

 

When targets move fast, reaction times must be faster, and with the technology that is being designed now, this will be achieved very shortly.

The result was expected but the process was faster than I forecast.

 

In spite of opposition from the Israeli airlines, especially El Al, at the end of last week the Israeli government and the EU finalised negotiations on a comprehensive aviation agreement.

 

This will gradually open up and integrate the respective markets.

 

As a result of the agreement, all EU airlines will be able to operate direct flights to Israel from anywhere in the EU, and Israeli carriers will be able to operate flights to airports throughout the EU.

 

The EU-Israel air transport market will be opened gradually so that by the start of the summer season in 2017 the market will be fully open, with no restrictions on the number of weekly flights between Israel and the EU.

 

Based on the experience of similar agreements signed with other countries neighbouring the EU, the gradual opening of the market is expected to encourage a larger number of direct flights from Israel to more destinations in Europe at lower prices than today, while also reducing flight prices to Israel for European travellers.

 

In parallel to gradually opening up the respective markets, the agreement also aims to integrate Israel into a wider Common Aviation Area with the EU.

 

Israel will implement regulatory requirements and standards equivalent to EU aviation rules in areas such as aviation safety, the environment, consumer protection, including passenger rights, air traffic management, economic regulation, competition issues and social aspects.

 

The agreement will replace bilateral air services agreements between EU member states and Israel.

 

This happened last week. What happens now depends on the wisdom of the El Al management, and the comprehension of the real world by the Israeli anti-trust commissioner. So far, these two elements have been missing.

 

Without joining one of the big aviation alliances, El Al will soon be in a very bad position. After losing $49.4 million in 2011, the present and future look like big question marks.

 

All the Israeli aviation experts agree that El Al should go back to operating seven days a week, which will bring it nearer to membership in one of the alliances.

 

If El Al flies at the weekend, Ben-Gurion airport can become a convenient hub for flights to the east.

 

The Israeli airline has flights to many destinations in Asia. In spite of that, it can now look enviously across the border with Jordan, where Royal Jordanian is taking some of the potential traffic because it operates every day of the week.

 

Stupidity and a lack of willingness to try and change a poor decision taken when El Al was still state owned put the airline in a bad spot.

 

One thing should be secured before the agreement is officially signed - the capability of El Al, Arkia and Israir to fly to all the major European destinations without facing an answer of "no slot".

 

This is the responsibility of the government, and in Israel sometimes the politicians tend to do a half job.

The moment of truth is approaching the headquarters of El Al at Ben-Gurion international airport, at the speed of a 747.

 

When on Wednesday the Israeli airline announced that it lost $49.4 million in 2011, no-one in the industry was surprised.

 

The loss is very painful for an airline that in 2010 reported a profit of $57 million.

 

What happened? Why has the slope become so steep? The answers are clear but El Al seems unable to try and stop the dive it is in.

 

By every parameter, El Al is in a dive. Its market share was 33.9% in 2011, a decrease of 9%. Load factor was 80.3%, compared with 81.6% in 2010.

 

El Al tried to explain the difficulties it is facing by not being able to join one of the aviation alliances.

 

El Al also explained that it has taken measures to reduce its expenses. This is a fact, but it is far from what is really needed.

 

In order to survive, El Al has to lay off at least 400 employees. It also has to rearrange its route structure and put more emphasis on long hauls. These two crucial steps were not taken, according to the airline, because of external hurdles.

 

The fact that Ben-Gurion airport is not a hub also makes El Al's life even more complicated.

 

In spite of El Al's opposition to the planned common aviation area agreement with the European Union, it seems that the agreement will be signed.

 

El Al claims that the agreement will be "a disaster" because it will give a clear advantage to the European airlines.

 

An industry source said that the fear is that while the European airlines will be able to fly to Israel as much as they want and from any destination, El Al and the two other smaller Israeli airlines will be limited by slots in the major European airports.

 

This may be true and the Israeli government should get the necessary assurances, but that is not a reason not to sign the agreement that will also give the Israeli airlines some very big advantages.

 

The agreement may also put an end to a colossal absurdity. The Israeli anti-trust commissioner may finally understand that allowing greater cooperation between the three Israeli airlines will not hurt competition.

 

The commissioner may finally understand that the competition is with the dozens of foreign airlines that currently fly to Israel. There is no question that this number will grow after the agreement with Europe is signed.

 

So, urgent steps must be taken. Will they be taken? We shall wait and see. Any prediction will not be based on solid facts.

Israeli-made unmanned air systems (UAS) are going in two main but opposite paths - some are getting smaller and some larger.


These differently sized platforms need adequate payloads, and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is working hard to supply them. Some are still under the veil of secrecy, but others are being exposed. The latter happened yesterday, at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) conference, held in Tel Aviv.


IAI unveiled a new version of its extra-lightweight MicroPOP stabilised payload. The new MicroPOP version, developed by IAI's Tamam division, includes a new thermal imager based on large-format detector and a continuous optical zoom. In addition, an automatic video tracker (AVT) was integrated to enhance operational capabilities.


The MicroPOP is used for short-range observation missions. The system provides advanced, enhanced image capabilities for mini-UAS. With some designs of mini-UAS, such as the Ghost rotary and the Panther tilt rotor, being readied for operational use, the new smaller and more advanced payloads are needed. The shrinking effort continues to enable the installation of more sensors on even the smaller UAS. This is the demand of the different clients, small elite army units with big operational demands.


The demand for the IAI combat-proven payloads is big. IAI announced yesterday that it will supply the upgraded Flir zoom Multi-mission Optronic Stabilised Payload (MOSP) 3000 to three foreign customers. The contracts' total worth is $20 million.


The MOSP 3000 is a multi-sensor electro-optic and infrared (EO/IR) payload - an evolution of the MOSP concept. The system's 14in (36cm) unit is designed primarily for UAS and aerostat platforms, while the 15in unit is designed primarily for helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, naval vessels and ground applications that require enhanced ruggedised structures.


The MOSP 3000's open architecture design accommodates up to five sensors. The sensor package includes a continuous day colour zoom camera, a continuous optical zoom  thermal imaging cameras (640 x 480 detector format), a laser pointer and an eye-safe laser rangefinder. A laser designator and rangefinder (LDRF) may also be installed. A built-in AVT is integrated into all configurations.


The multi-sensor is key when big UAS are the carrying platform. Armed forces are no longer satisfied with one sensor. They want as many as the platform can carry.
This creates a problem that must be handled by the advanced ground stations. When such a variety of sensors "play" in harmony, clients need a system that will obtain information and use it to build a "big picture" that can be understood and used as fast as possible. Most of the targets hunted by manned and unmanned platforms are on the move, and in order to kill them the sensor-to-shooter time must be minimal.

The new payloads are built exactly for that: locate, identify and help the weapon to hit with precision.

The Israeli aerospace and defence industries have identified a growing market - protecting a country's offshore gas and oil fields.
Elbit Systems has established special facilities for the development of systems to defend such natural resources from terror attacks.
Flight visited the laboratory built at the company's Haifa base.
The lab is equipped with computers and large screens that enable the team to demonstrate concepts of defending undersea natural resources.
The discovery of the huge gas and oil reserves in the Israeli Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) prompted the country to act immediately. Foreign sources claim the Israeli airforce (IAF) is operating Heron-1 unmanned air systems (UAS) to protect the offshore natural gas
fields from possible terrorist attacks by Hizbullah.
Hizbullah threats reached a new peak after the Israeli cabinet approved the lines of Israel's EEZ in the Mediterranean, including the line near Lebanon.
The IAF is operating Heron-1 (Soval) UAS with maritime patrol sensors as a "subcontractor" to the Israeli navy.
The maritime Heron are operating parallel to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Westwind 1124 business jets in Seascan configuration, which has been operated since 1978.
The maritime UAS are equipped with a similar payload carried by the Seascan. This includes an Elta search radar and a Tamam stabilised long-range optical observation system.
The Heron can fly for more than 40 hours at an altitude of 30,000 feet. It can carry multiple payloads with a total weight of 250kg.
Azarel Ram, senior director of naval and maritime solutions at Elbit Systems, said the new lab enables a tailor-made solution for every sea or shore installation that needs protection.
The different solutions will include shore- and rig-based sensors, UAS, unmanned marine systems and manned aircraft with dedicated sensors.
Elbit Systems and fellow Israeli company Rafael are getting ready to compete for the Israeli programme and, at the same time, for a programme prepared currently by Brazil to protect its offshore natural resources.
Lova Drori, Rafael's marketing vice-president, revealed that the company is already "getting ready" to compete in both places. He declined to elaborate‫,‬ but is seems Rafael will establish a local company in Brazil.
New business opportunities are out there in the seas and oceans and Israeli companies will try to gain as much of it as possible.

 

 

 

It was only a matter of time until such a conference was held in Israel.

 

With 40 years of operational use of unmanned air vehicles, it is only natural that the AUVSI Israel Chapter will host the 2012 AUVSI International Conference in Tel Aviv.

 

The three-day conference will begin on 20 March and deal with the growing world of unmanned systems.

 

The sessions will focus on Unmanned Ground Systems (UGS); Unmanned Airborne Systems (UAS); Unmanned Marine Systems (UMS); C4I-Training and Simulations; Operational Lessons Learned; Civil Applications; UAS Integration in Civil Aviation Airspace; Swarms of Unmanned Vehicles; Sensors, Navigation, Perception and Recognition in Unmanned Vehicles & Propulsion.

 

Tommy Silbering, the general manager of the Malat division of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), said that the conference will be a good opportunity to demonstrate the network-centric approach to a joint operation of unmanned systems.

 

He added that the future that begins today is the integration of all the unmanned systems to perform "complex missions".

 

Not all the Israeli developments in that respect will be presented at the conference, in order not to make the security officers of the different companies nervous, but the trend will be shown.

 

When the UAS, UGS and UMS are only platforms for carrying the variety of sensors, the system is the key word that makes the whole difference.

 

"We will show how the very advanced ground stations can give any 'client' the data he needs and how any of the payloads can be operated with the greatest efficiency."

 

The participants from all the Israeli unmanned systems manufacturers and from the users in the different units of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) will share their experience (to a limit).

 

The many guests will have a unique opportunity to get first-hand information from an armed service that has made the unmanned system one of its main tools.

Armed forces want more versatility for their accurate missiles that are launched from helicopters - and that calls for more sensors and more warheads.


The trend is a direct result of the types of wars fought nowadays. These are dubbed low-intensity or urban, but have one thing in common: the attacking force cannot afford collateral damage that will wound or kill uninvolved civilians.


Rafael's Spike family of missiles has broken sales records. The missiles are versatile, and have been recently adapted for launch by helicopters. But this was not enough. Clients want pinpoint accuracy and the lowest collateral damage.


The result: Rafael will add a laser sensor to its advanced Spike NLOS helicopter-launched long-range missile.


According to the Israeli defence company, the new laser homing capability will be demonstrated soon. The current version of the Spike NLOS missile is equipped with a dual charge-coupled device (CCD)/infrared (IR) sensor. This ensures accuracy under most conditions, but as mentioned above, client demands are rising, requiring that collateral damage decrease.


The addition of a laser sensor will enable ground forces or aerial platforms to designate a target that will be hit with super-accuracy seconds later. The Spike NLOS was recently integrated on board an Israeli air force Cobra helicopter.


The warheads were also adapted to the operational demands of the most common type of war in recent years. The Spike NLOS can be armed with at least three types of warheads, which can be used against tanks, armoured vehicles, bunkers and infantry. The missile has a range of 25km (16 miles), and can obtain target data from other airborne platforms.


Notice that the tools of modern war are not only judged by their capability to kill more enemy soldiers but by their super-accuracy. The enemy - and only the enemy - should be hit, even if he chooses to hide in densely populated areas. Laser homing weapons systems have become favourites because they can be directed to small targets with unprecedented accuracy.


So Israeli companies are developing laser technology that enables soldiers to direct a bomb or missile into a building through an open window. What we will see in the near future are more Israeli weapons systems with an extra laser homing sensor in the shape of a laser homing one.

It is always interesting to find out what other "clients" rather than the air force think regarding unmanned platforms. I visited the Israeli navy, which is using the Eurocopter AS-565 Panther (Atalef) helicopters on its Saar-5 missile corvettes.

The search for an unmanned substitute for the "Atalef" has been going on for some years, despite the fact Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a leading developer and manufacturer of unmanned air systems, has made a huge effort to develop an unmanned helicopter. This effort led IAI to cooperate with Indian industry, but so far no operational products have appeared.

The navy knows it has to replace the "Atalef" (Hebrew for bat) but surprised me by saying that instead of a full-size unmanned rotorcraft, it has a different vision, based on a number of small unmanned vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) platforms that will each perform one dedicated mission.

One, the navy says, may be equipped with an electro optical payload to spot threats in the sea. The other could be fitted with weapon direction aids, such as a laser designator, yet another with weapons to defend the ship.

The navy went further. It has a vision of unmanned small VTOL platforms that will be deployed not only on the full-size Saar-5 missile corvettes but also on the small Super Dvora fast patrol boats.

The one factor that will decide if all this vision turns into operational reality is that all these platforms must be fully autonomous. This is not an easy task, especially when your landing surface often shakes and rolls, but work is under way and technology always finds a way to compensate for the force of nature.

This is only an assumption. But when you add one to another one, the result is two.

 

The increasing use of unmanned air systems (UAS) by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) and the growing capabilities of these autonomous platforms must someday be complemented with suitable weapons.

 

Some "surgical attacks" performed in recent days on targets in Gaza, mainly on rocket launchers located in densely populated areas, point to the need and to the potential.

No-one in official Israel is willing to discuss the subject, but again one plus one equals....

 

Rafael was the first Israeli defence company to admit it is considering adapting some of the weapons system it produces 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.

 

Rafael officials feel more comfortable when they explain that 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 weapon systems.

 

The company said it will respond in the future to any operational request for dedicated weapons systems for UAS.

 

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.

 

In recent days, Palestinian sources in Gaza have again claimed that the IAF is using armed UAS in the fighting in Gaza.

 

Rafael has downsized full-size intelligence-gathering payloads carried by fighter aircraft for use on UAS.

 

This is a good example of what can be achieved in a downsizing effort that will enable a UAS to perform very precise attacks.

 

Sources say that it is not only the downsizing of the weapons systems but also the capability to achieve the shortest "sensor to shooter" loop.

 

Will that be achieved with a man in this loop? Will this be fully autonomous? These are major questions. Have they been answered? I deal today with assumptions, not with answers.

 

You have to again add one fact, that Israel has developed some of the most advanced UAS in the world, with another one relating to weapons systems, to have a solid assumption.

 

But just to be clear - this is an assumption until it becomes a fact.

It is a common feeling to admire a piece of very advanced technology that works perfectly in very complicated conditions. That admiration is given a special twist when the technology can save your life.

 

Last weekend, more than a 100 rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel. And now the amazing number - more than 90% of the rockets with "killing trajectories" were intercepted by the Israeli Air Force's (IAF) Iron Dome systems. One is deployed no more than 15km from where I live.

 

The Iron Dome, which was developed by Rafael in record time, proved itself almost after its initial deployment, but when the rockets began to go out of their launchers last week, the three batteries performed in a way that is really unprecedented.

 

The success of Iron Dome can be attributed to the vast knowledge Rafael has in developing air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles, and to the new blocks of software that were loaded in the fire control units of the batteries. The crews also use an improved operational concept.

 

One of the main issues brought up by people who were against Iron Dome and in favour of a laser-based intercept system is its allegedly low capability of coping with salvos of rockets.

 

Last weekend, the Elta radar that is used in Iron Dome proved that it is capable of predicting if a rocket's trajectory will lead to it hitting a populated area.

 

The batteries ignored dozens of rockets that exploded seconds later in open areas, and intercepted only the ones with "kill potential".

 

The success led Ehud Barak, the Israeli defence minister, to say that it is time to define Iron Dome as a "national emergency project".

 

If this happens, it may generate the necessary funds for more batteries. The experts say that to cover all potential sections along the Israeli borders from rockets, 10 to 13 batteries are required.

 

With such a high rate of success, there is a good chance that the necessary budgets will be shifted from where they are today, for the purpose of purchasing more Iron Domes.

 

The efficiency of Iron Dome is expected to result in visits by army experts from a number of countries that are under threat from rockets.

 

Some are scheduled for the coming days. The experts want to see the system in real conditions.

When the war of words between Israel and the USA on one side and Iran on the other reaches a climax, it could become real war in minutes, so Israel is bolstering its capability to intercept ballistic missiles.
Iran's airforce is not a threat to Israel. But Tehran embarked years ago on a big effort to develop some types of ballistic missile that could easily reach Israel.
I still remember the sound of a warhead attached to an Iraqi Scud missile that exploded not far from where I lived in the first Gulf War in 1990. If Iran is attacked now, a barrage of missiles with larger warheads is expected.
Israel is preparing itself. Soon a third Arrow missile battery will be deployed by the airforce in central Israel to increase the current capability of two operational batteries of Arrow-2 missiles.
The three batteries will be connected to one command centre, which will decide which battery, or which launcher, will achieve the best results after an incoming missile is detected by the Green Pine phased array radar.
I visited one of the batteries and while the activities are routine, it felt like a coiled spring was about to be released in a split second.
The third battery will include all the improvements introduced in recent years.
These are supposed to affect the detection, prioritisation and intercept odds.
Meanwhile, Israel Aerospace Industries is preparing the first fly-out test of the Arrow-3, a totally different interceptor that is designed for kinetic kills of ballistic missiles armed with unconventional warheads.
The Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 will be part of a system that is designed to defend Israel from rockets and missiles. The Rafael Iron Dome is already intercepting short-range rockets. There will also be the Rafael-Raytheon David Sling, which is designed to intercept longer-range rockets and cruise missiles.
But I can assume with great certainty that Israel will use, in addition to the interceptors, some "very advanced" suppression systems. These are designed to hamper the ability of the enemy to launch.

There is no reason why a small country such as Israel should have three international airlines that compete with each other and with dozens of foreign carriers flying regular and charter flights to the country.
The strange situation is a result of wrong decisions by the managements and by the Israeli antitrust commissioner. This government official has rejected any preliminary attempt to talk about consolidation. The reason? He thinks this will decrease competition and affect passengers.
You would have to be ignorant not to realise that the real competition comes from the large number of foreign airlines. The commissioner even revoked some code share agreements between Israeli and foreign airlines. That worsened their situation. Wrong decisions are being made across the board.
But something might change. The Israeli airlines claim that the upcoming Common Aviation Area agreement between Israel and Europe will put them in real danger.
The airlines, EL AL, Arkia and Israir have asked the minister of transport to re-evaluate the agreement that is being formed and the minister promised to look at the problem before the deal was signed.
It will be very bad if the agreement is not signed, but I think it will be signed, in spite of the opposition of the Israeli airlines. The facts are clear to everyone with a basic understanding of the aviation market. So there are signs that the Israeli airlines are for the first time really thinking about consolidation.
The main hurdle remains the strange policy of the antitrust commissioner. If this official does not understand the situation, someone higher up should explain it in plain words.
If the agreement with Europe is undermined, and if, in parallel, the three Israeli airlines continue to operate as they do now, only a miracle will see them earn the money to keep operations in the current pattern.
With the threat of the agreement, the current situation might make some people understand that the aviation industry has been undergoing huge changes and that they cannot be blocked by the passport controllers in Ben-Gurion international airport.

I think many documents uncovered by WikiLeaks merely reflect intentions and thoughts, rather than real things. But even if that applies to a recent leak concerning Israel, it is the most stupid one related to the export of Israeli-made military hardware.
The leak is not stupid; the stupidity relates to the person who thought about it/dreamt about it/whispered about it. And if one day there is hard evidence the thought was followed by action, such stupidity would deserve an entry in the Guinness Book of Records.
The subject of the leak is Russia allegedly giving Israel codes for breaking Iran's missile defence system in return for codes of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) Israel sold to Georgia.
The information was among five million emails released last week by WikiLeaks. The leaks focused on the US-based Stratfor global intelligence company.
A source identified as "A" was quoted in an email from a Stratfor employee as having heard from a "former Mexican cop" and military analysts that "the Georgians are frantically looking for a replacement for the Israeli UAS that were compromised".
Israel sold UAS to Georgia. At least two of them were shot down by Russian MiG-29s during a Russian operation in Georgia in 2008.
So, if someone thought about such a swap of codes, they should have known that even in the dark world of arms deals, secrets are not forever - even if they deal with something that crossed somebody's mind after a night of heavy drinking in a Mexican saloon.
I assume this leak will be followed by others. How many acts could there be in this strange "play"? Many seek the answer.

Things that were almost unthinkable until very recently now look totally different.

One very good example is the option to export the Israeli Arrow anti-ballistic missile system. This development is correlated in many ways both with the international situation and with the imminent fly-out test of the Arrow-3 - the most advanced version of the Israeli ballistic missile interceptor.

The USA has been funding the different phases of the Arrow weapon system (AWS) development and therefore Washington has to approve any export of the Arrow.

For the last ten years, Boeing has manufactured some of the Arrow missiles. That enabled Israel to use the foreign military financing (FMF) granted annually by the USA to increase the inventory of missiles that are part of the two operational Arrow-2 systems deployed in Israel.

But the world has undergone some very dramatic changes in recent years and that has caused a new way of thinking in Washington. Processes are slow in the American capital , but they are accelerated by the reality.

The first sign of that new approach appeared in January, when Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) expanded its agreement with Boeing on the AWS.

According to the official press release, the IAI-Boeing strategic teaming agreement aims to "explore and develop new opportunities in the missile defence arena".

The USA has not only funded some of the Arrow development phases, but has also taken an active role in the continuous development.

In February 2011, an Israeli improved Arrow-2 anti-ballistic interceptor was successfully tested in a test range in the USA.

A target missile was launched from a US navy ship off the west coast. The Arrow-2 Block 4 was launched from a US facility on the coast.

The improved Arrow-2 intercepted the target missile after its "Green Pine" ground radar detected it. That was not the first Arrow test in the USA.

The fact that the improved version achieved a kinetic hit was very significant.

The Arrow-2 is designed to destroy ballistic missiles with a proximity-operated warhead, but in this test it achieved a kinetic kill.

Israel Aerospace Industries is currently developing the Arrow-3, a totally different interceptor that is designed for kinetic kills of ballistic missiles armed with unconventional warheads.

The fact that in last year's test in the USA a kinetic kill was achieved tells the whole story - the USA is very involved in the development of the Arrow-3 and is showing signs that it will approve its export to selected countries.

There has been a "traditional" list of potential customers. This includes Japan, South Korea, India and Singapore.

These countries know the capabilities of the Arrow system, and that it's the best ballistic-missile operational interceptor. Will one of them be the first foreign customer?

If a request were to be made, Washington may approve and Boeing would be the prime contractor. The infrastructure for the export of the Arrow has already been built.