Arie Egozi: April 2012 Archives

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will not be changing its name, but the country's largest aerospace company is increasing its involvement in ground operations.
The phrasing may seem odd, but when in current ground fighting the target is to achieve the shortest sensor-to-shooter time and precise, immediate fire, it becomes more logical.
The new IAI ground team is using building blocks that were developed for aerial uses, adapts them for use by ground forces and also develops new dedicated systems, aimed at achieving the immediate support fire response with "first round on the target".
One such dedicated tool is the Jumper missile system. It contains eight canistered missiles and an integrated command and a control unit that are arranged in a launcher pack.
The system requires no operating crew and no special launching platform. Pinpoint accuracy and short flight time make the Jumper a perfect solution for the autonomous fire support for ground forces. The missile is 1800mm (71in) long, has a diameter of 150mm and weighs 63kg (139lb). It is equipped with GPS/INS and four steering fins at its tail. In addition, the missile can "home" to a laser designation.
A very realistic scenario: an unmanned air system (UAS), operated by an infantry company, detects the enemy, which is using rough terrain to hide and attack with mortars and anti-tank rockets. The coordinates of the target are transferred directly to a Jumper launcher and it sends a number of missiles.
The attack is over in seconds. Time from detection by the mini UAS to kill is about five minutes. In the past, the sensor-to-shooter time in the same circumstances would have been at least 20 minutes.
As part of the same ground efforts, IAI has also developed TopGun, a GPS/INS course correction fuse for 155mm artillery projectiles.
TopGun converts a standard 155mm artillery round into a precision-guided projectile, without significantly altering firing routines, using GPS and guided by four fins fitted to the fuse. The accuracy of projectiles equipped with TopGun, which is mounted on the artillery round, is 20m CEP (circular error probable), regardless of range - unlike any other round.
So mini UAS, and the dedicated weapon systems, allow the infantry to produce its fast, effective support fire. The main trick, according to IAI, is what is referred to as "super connectivity" - the ability of all systems in a defined area to talk to each other, smoothly, without any interference.
According to IAI, tactical ground fighting will never be the same.
New tools, new capabilities.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is slowly becoming the robotics house of Israel and, if I may make a small forecast, of the world.

 

I am talking about robots that will participate in combat and in many cases will deliver the punch necessary to win it.

 

After 40 years of developing unmanned air systems (UAS), the company is revealing the tip of a "mountain" of combat robots that will complement those that fly over the fighting units.

 

The technology that helped IAI to develop fifth and sixth-generation UAS is now helping the company to begin the ground robotic revolution.

 

And it will, in the not-so-distant future, be a combined robotic fighting force, with UAS of all types in the air, and ground robots performing complex missions in full cooperation.

 

Most of the IAI robots are still classified, but one is a good example of the technology and the trend.

 

This is the REX "porter", which can carry up to 200kg and is designed to assist groups of three to 10 ground soldiers on operational and logistical missions for up to 72 hours without refuelling.

 

The REX follows the soldier that operates it or is put on a 6m "leash" connected to a smart remote control.

 

With an effort to develop a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned system, and with other robotic efforts made by IAI, a scene from a robot-based science fiction movie is losing the fiction element.

 

The building blocks that helped IAI develop some very "exotic" UAS are now used very extensively for robots on the ground.

 

Around a hundred engineers and technicians are on the job, and we can expect some very surprising systems.

 

 

Israel is continuing its efforts to obtain US approval to install more locally made systems on the Lockheed Martin F-35s that will be acquired by the Israeli airforce (IAF).
Some progress has been made. This fact can be learned from a report prepared by the US Congress research service last month.
The report says that in June 2010 a letter of acceptance (LOA) was signed. According to this LOA, Israel will be able to install its own radio and datalink systems in the first 20 F-35s included in the deal.
The report says that discussions over the integration of electronic warfare (EW) capabilities will continue and may be approved should‫ ‬Israel purchase additional aircraft. Israeli companies manufacture radio and datalink systems that are tailored to the conditions in which the IAF operates.
Last week I reported that the IAF F-35 stealth fighters will be armed with US- and Israeli-made weapon systems.
Sources related to the issue said that "at least one main weapon system" will be of Israeli origin.
The IAF had expressed its wish to equip the F-35 with an Israeli-developed "new generation" air-to-air missile.
But Israel is still very concerned about the firm stance of the US not to allow the installation of an Israeli developed EW system on the stealth fighter. The IAF has expressed great concern about that, and negotiations continue.
The possible solution is to let the IAF add its own "black boxes" to the original EW of the F-35 so that it reaches the standard required by the IAF to handle the threats.

Another mission was recently added to the long list already performed by Israel Air Force (IAF) unmanned air systems (UAS).
The first UAS squadron of the IAF is training to support the 669 search and rescue unit in locating a downed pilot.
The mission is performed by the squadron's Heron 1 UAS, which has a long endurance capability and very "sharp eyes" in the form of advanced payloads.
The squadron is training in different terrains to find a wounded pilot who has parachuted from his aircraft.
The versatility of the UAS and their long endurance are, according to the IAF, some of the most important advantages in search and rescue missions for downed pilots, especially in hostile territory.
The training is based on achieving the shortest reaction time between detection and identification of the pilot, who is sometimes hiding from enemy forces, and a helicopter being over him to lift him to safety.
Of the long list of missions - most of them classified - performed by the IAF UAS this one is almost "tailored" to this type of platform - flying for hours without a pilot, who can become tired and less focused on the mission.
I have a feeling the mission list of the IAF's UAS squadrons will lengthen as time passes. This unmanned tool is proving, on a daily basis, it is one of the more capable the IAF has ever operated.

While many countries, including the US, are struggling to deploy anti-ballistic missile systems, Israel is upgrading its operational Arrow system and it will be more capable as time passes.

 

The Israeli Air Force's (IAF's) two operational Arrow anti-ballistic missiles interceptor batteries will soon be equipped with improved missiles.

 

The improved missiles have a new block of software and some more highly classified upgrades. These changes are a result of the many simulations performed by the IAF's Arrow unit.

 

The simulations, using the built-in capability of the batteries, is complemented by one  of the main Israeli national simulators built to allow the simulation of any scenario.

 

Now to the upgrades. The detection and fire control capabilities of the Arrow-2 batteries will be upgraded further by connecting them to the Elta "Super Green Pine" radar.

 

This radar, according to the IAF, will give the Arrow-2 operators an "improved picture of the skies". And the "skies" in this context mean space far, very far, from Israel.

 

However, this is only part of the effort that has gained momentum in recent years in parallel with the accelerated development of Iran's long-range ballistic missiles.

 

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the Arrow's developer and manufacturer, is currently developing the Arrow-3, a totally different interceptor that is designed for kinetic kills of ballistic missiles armed with unconventional warheads.

 

The improved Arrow-2, and later the Arrow-3, will be the upper layers of a multi-layered system aimed at protecting Israel from rockets and missiles.

 

The Rafael Iron Dome is the lowest layer, the "David's Sling" developed by Rafael and Raytheon will constitute the second layer, and the two versions of the Arrow will top that system.

 

There are more and more signs that there is a growing interest in the Israeli multi-layered system, and that this may result in some export deals.

 

South Korea is facing a problem, Japan is facing one, and other countries may also feel threatened.

This has happened in the past in other parts of the world, but in recent years the focus has become Scandinavia.

The Scandinavian authorities are reluctant to allow Israeli airlines to use the "special security" measures that are part of every flight from any point in the world to Israel, performed by an Israeli airline.

This time the focus is on Stockholm airport. The airport authorities have refused to allow Israeli airline Arkia to carry out a series of flights under the security umbrella required by Israel.

The Swedish authorities say that they will not allow Israeli security staff to perform independent security checks in Stockholm airport. They also made it clear they will not allow any Israeli security staff on their soil to carry weapons.

The authorities also explained that the independent security checks Israeli personnel perform would violate laws connected to freedom of occupation and human dignity. Instead, they offered to perform the security checks with their own personnel.

This crisis is a duplicate of one which occurred last year at Copenhagen airport.

The Israel general security service has never accepted security checks on flights to Israel that are performed by local staff. The Israeli security personnel checking passengers and guarding the boarding area are specially trained - and all of them served in elite units of the Israeli defence forces.

Israeli experts claim that the local security "arrangements" offered by the authorities in Scandinavian countries are not sufficient. They add that in recent years intelligence data points to a growing terror threat in that area - a fact that emphasizes the need to take all possible measures to prevent it.

In the meantime, the Israeli foreign ministry is trying to find a solution that will allow the Israeli airline's flights from Stockholm.

The approval of the open skies agreement between Israel and the EU was the last blow for EL AL. At this point, Israel's largest airline will have to make some very fast and dramatic moves in order to survive.

The airline anticipated this blow, however, and in the last six months has been busy preparing an emergency plan, using help from external consultants.

The heaviest burden on EL AL is the number of employees. The management was not decisive enough - and did not confront the workers' committees -  in a real effort to minimize the payroll.

By this point in time EL AL has a very limited list of options. One is closing the airline in its current form and reopening it as a low-cost carrier.

The other is continuing the current form of operations, but with most of the flights being operated to more lucrative markets - long-haul destinations such as New York, Los Angeles, Beijing, Mumbai and Bangkok.

If this option is selected, the short- and medium-haul destinations will be served by a low-cost subsidiary. Until last year, SunDor - a subsidiary of EL AL - operated low-cost flights. It also operated on the Jewish Shabbat, when EL AL is on the tarmac.

SunDor was closed after the Israeli civil aviation authority found out it does not have full registration as an airline. It is expected to restart operations in June, after fulfilling all the requirements.

So, it's the moment of truth for EL AL - which ended 2011 with a $49 million loss. If the current situation continues, it may force EL AL to a point where it will not be able to operate.

The decision must be taken soon, as the financial parameters have reached the "red" zone.

When the almost "iron" demand is that a country exporting arms will transfer know-how to the purchasing nation, Israel faces a big problem.
In the past, arms deals with almost all the countries included offset agreements that were based on buying goods from the purchasing state, but this is almost history. Nowadays the requirement is to transfer knowledge directly connected to the advanced weapon system.
This creates a problem for Israeli defence and aerospace industries. When the deal is with a western European nation, for example, the ministry of defence approves almost all the required transfers of technology.
But in recent years Israel has added many names to the list of states buying Israeli-made weapons systems such as advanced unmanned air systems (UAS) and missiles.
The dilemma is a significant one. End-user agreements, which are an integral part of any such arms deal, have proved to be a very flimsy guarantee.
The section of the defence ministry that must approve any arms export, and accompanying technology transfers, is sometimes under pressure from other ministries claiming that the "larger picture" of Israeli interests in different parts of the world must be taken into account.
This year is a very sensitive one in relation to arms exports. The economic situation in many countries has been affecting the scope of arms deals with these powers. The situation has also created political pressures in these nations to gain advanced technologies from the selling country if a deal is signed.
There are many problems in this for a country that is under constant threat from the nations it borders and beyond.

Adding capabilities to a unique flying platform is one way of persuading potential investors and clients to help in making a very special design an operational system.

 

When many companies in the world are trying to develop different types of unmanned Re-supply and Medevac missions, a small Israeli company is making bold but very cautious steps forward with its design.

 

The Urban Aeronautics AirMule ducted fan prototype was recently fitted with a fully functional, double redundant hydraulic system to enable uninterrupted rotor pitch control in case of a failure in one of the pressure supply lines.

 

The Israeli company is building the second prototype and plans an automatic precision landing demonstration before the end of the year.

 

Urban Aeronautics president Dr Rafi Yoeli said that the system had undergone full power tests in mid-March, including self-induced failures to verify that the automatic failure detection and consequent switch-over to the standby system is performed correctly by the on-board computers. A first flight with the upgraded system is expected soon.

 

Yoeli said that in recent weeks, a small, stabilised Electro-Optic payload was installed on the AirMule prototype.

 

The D-STAMP payload, made by Israeli company Controp, is part of the AirMule's Auto-Land system, which will enable the aircraft to guide itself to a touchdown over any high-contrast marker in the combat zone.

 

Yoeli said that in cases in which it will not be possible to mark the landing spot by putting a physical marker, a laser spot from an airborne designator can be used to achieve the same result.

 

This Auto-Land feature will be the final step towards enabling fully autonomous flight paths between the point of departure and the planned landing zone using pre-programmed routes.

 

Accurate positioning will be maintained by an on-board Inertial Navigation System (INS).

 

The second prototype will be powered by the Arriel -2 940 SHP engine.

This will allow a maximum takeoff weight of 3,100lb (1,407kg), an endurance of five hours and a maximum altitude of 12,000ft.

 

Yoeli added that when the second prototype is ready, a series of flights is planned in southern Israel and "potential customers will be invited to these flights".

Israeli unmanned air systems (UAS) may soon become the backbone of some major European armed forces.

While the UK's Watchkeeper programme is progressing according to plan - based on the Elbit Systems Hermes-450 - other countries are considering Israeli-made UAS.

The most recent development is Germany's renewed interest in the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron-TP medium-altitude, long-endurance UAS.

This move was expected, however, after the cancellation of the Talarion programme.
EADS has not officially opened discussions with IAI after the Talarion cancellation, but German sources believe negotiations will result in the Heron-TP being offered to the German armed forces.

The German forces in Afghanistan are using the IAI Heron-1 UAS, and the army has been briefed on the capability of the Heron-TP.

The open architecture of the Heron-TP recently led to an accelerated process that will enable the UAS to fly in French airspace.

IAI and Dassault have formed a joint company in France that will assemble the Heron-TP and fit it with some French payloads.‫ ‬

So, while France has made a decision, the Germans are still evaluating the Predator-B - and sources said that the competition will be "fierce".

Other European countries have been using Israeli-made UAS. Some were acquired in a speedy process and directly delivered to the units in Afghanistan.

With more than a million flight hours and with many combat-proven systems, the Israeli aerospace industry is still looking at Europe as a potential market - in spite of some programmes that seem to present serious competition.

Observing the Israeli UAS industry very closely,  I can say that it is unique. This uniqueness is exemplified by the fact that an engineer in one of the Israeli companies designing a UAS may be at his desk on Monday - and with his army or air force reserve unit for the rest of the week, operating the same system he helped to design.

This intimate relationship between developers and operators is the secret to success, in my
opinion.

This is, of course, without diminishing the importance of the high level of technology mastered
by companies like IAI and Elbit, that manufacture a wide array of systems - from UAS through to weapon systems, satellites and launchers

The Israeli air force (IAF) operates combat missions almost every day. Add to that extensive training for many potential scenarios, and you get a much "stretched" inventory.

This situation calls for close monitoring of fatigue in IAF fixed-wing and rotary platforms.

Special teams are developing methods to improve fatigue monitoring - and when one is proven it is implemented as soon as possible. These methods are especially crucial for an air force that operates some very mature types, like the C-130, CH-53 and A-4.

On a recent visit to the IAF I learned of one such method that has already been implemented. The in-house developed system monitors the manoeuvres of a helicopter in order to allow efficient preventive fatigue treatments.

According to a senior IAF source after some companies failed to design such a system a team of engineers designed it, and now it is in testing.

The source said that until now pilots were required to report the performance of manoeuvres that have "fatigue potential". But experience proved this method is insufficient for the task.

After the completion of the test flights, the plan is to install the system on all the IAF's helicopters.

The IAF has also developed a "smart patch" - an electronic chip that is attached to crack-prone fuselage sections of an aircraft, offering early warning of the beginning of a crack.

Both systems were designed in the IAF's engineering department, which is also in charge of the many special systems installed on its fixed-wing and rotary aircraft.

These systems are highly classified and lack commercial potential - and therefore have to be designed by the IAF.

The Israeli navy will use more unmanned platforms in its missions.
It already operates an unmanned boat and is planning the deployment of small unmanned air systems (UAS) aboard patrol craft.
In a rare interview, Col Sassi Hudeda, head of the navy's weapons systems department, said the effort to develop small vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned systems is being made with Israeli industry and the university of Beer Sheva.
"We want to use fully autonomous small VTOL unmanned systems that will be capable of taking off and landing from Super Dvora class patrol boats."
The Super Dvora is a fast patrol boat that can reach a speed of 38kt (70km/h) and has a range of 700nm (1,295km).
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), which is manufacturing the Super Dvora, has been involved in the development of unmanned full-sized-, half-sized- and mini-sized VTOL systems. Other Israeli companies are involved in a similar effort. Steadicopter, which is developing a small rotary UAS, showed its Black Eagle 50 at the AUVSI exhibition in Tel Aviv last month.
Steadicopter director Rami Hadar was not ready to say anything about potential military applications of the system, which has a 35kg (77lb) maximum take-off weight and 3hr endurance capability.
Other companies are also working on such systems, but refuse to release details.
The Israeli effort is to enable all unmanned platforms in the air and the sea in a given area to "talk" to each other to create the "big" intelligence picture and allow "complex fighting scenarios".
It seems that budget restraints - the Israeli navy is not the first in the queue to get what is available - will slow the development effort, but they will result, not in the far future, in these unmanned platforms that will change the way operations are performed on the high seas.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is going into the cellphone business.

 

Well, the company does not intend to compete with smartphone manufacturers or with the service providers, but in spite of this, it thinks that the potential is very big.

 

Fourth-generation cellular technology will enable small unmanned air systems (UAS) to transmit video directly to field commanders under most conditions.

 

IAI recently successfully demonstrated its new wideband Long Term Evolution (LTE) Tactical Communication Network - the TAC4G.

 

TAC4G enables wideband communication within various military units and between different command echelons.

 

The system is based on commercial LTE 4 Generation cellular technology adapted for military applications.

 

IAI subsidiary ELTA Systems developed the system as a substitute for software-defined radio systems, and it can in some instances use civil cellular infrastructure.

 

Shalom Nathan, director of communications and special intelligence at ELTA, said that there are negotiations with a company that will design special cellphones for end-users, including UAS operators. "We also intend to develop special operational applications that will make it easy for the users to take full advantage of the secure system."

 

In addition to the technical advantages of a fourth-generation cellular network, IAI thinks that the wide use of smartphones in everyday life and the many applications create a "familiar" environment that can be very useful in combat.

 

At 18, Israelis go into the army and can find themselves in a combat unit using a small UAS.

 

What is more sensible than giving them something that looks like a "civil" smartphone, but which is used to get instant video from aerial sensors?

Ashot Ashkelon, a subsidiary of Israel Military Industries, is trying to get involved in the design of a new business jet.

The company is mainly known for its part in manufacturing heavy mechanical subsystems for Israel's Merkava main battle tank, and now plans to transfer more of its capabilities to the aerospace market.

The company - which until now mainly made built-to-print parts for the aerospace industry - wants to participate in the design of aircraft parts, especially those involved in power transmission.

Ashot recently purchased a US-based company, and is now looking for a European firm to expand its aerospace business.

Company president Dan Katz told me that while civil aircraft is the main target market for the company, the firm is also making an effort to get involved in the design and manufacture of power transmission systems for military aircraft.

"We have gained huge experience in making aircraft and jet engine parts, and think that it is time to use our know-how to design more efficient parts," he said.

The company has invested in new machining equipment, and a few days ago announced its financial results for 2011 - sales of $70 million and a net profit of approximately $9 million. "We are growing in every parameter and we will continue doing this", Katz said.

Aerospace technology now constitutes one third of the company's production output - and the firm's efforts are focused on increasing that amount in the near future.

GPS is a very handy tool that is now a part of all smartphones. It is also used to navigate aircraft, unmanned air systems (UAS) and weapon systems.
But this handy tool can be disrupted with a small system that can be purchased for as little as $100.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a leading UAS manufacturer, has used its expertise in other fields to come up with small, lightweight navigation systems for UAS that are not susceptible to jamming.
A few days ago the Tamam division of IAI partially revealed the Tamam Navigation (TN) family of airborne navigation systems made for use on UAS.
The family includes the TNL-16G INS/GPS for medium-class UAS and two new systems: the TNF Attitude Heading and Reference System (AHRS), for small-size UAS; and the TNL-16GI high-end embedded GPS inertial (EGI) navigation system, for medium altitude long endurance (MALE) UAS.
TN systems use IAI's proven inertial sensors (FOG and RLG gyroscopes and advanced accelerometers). The TN products are in serial production. Hundreds of units, totalling $100 million worldwide, have been delivered to customers in recent years.
Igal Mevorach, Tamam's director of marketing, said that whole areas can be obscured from systems with GPS signals that can be easily purchased on the open market. And then there is "spoofing", where the GPS provides incorrect data that someone had inserted.
So, Tamam went back to the good old inertial navigation units, but made them with the latest technology, which includes a ring laser gyro.
GPS is here to stay in military systems, but serious users will not depend on it.

Hovering platforms and balloons. One platform is new and very advanced, the other is making a comeback. Both serve to put an "eye in the sky" for long endurances and with little operational costs.

 

The demand created the innovation and the comeback, and customers are very satisfied with the variety.

 

Last week, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Chilean air operator Vision Austral demonstrated their combined advanced surveillance capabilities at the FIDAE 2012 International Air & Space Fair in Santiago, Chile.

 

Plug-In Optronic Payload (POP300) by IAI's Tamam Division, installed on Vision Austral's Cameron observation balloon, was used to showcase various potential solutions to law enforcement and homeland security missions, as well as civilian applications such as control of traffic in the main Chilean cities.

 

POP300 is a modular, lightweight, gyro-stabilised day/night observation system.

According to IAI, the system is in use by international defence and law enforcement agencies, while thousands of POP payloads are in operational service worldwide.

 

POP300 is based on a plug-in slice concept. The slice contains the optronic sensors, which can be easily replaced on-site within minutes without the need for alignment or adjustment. This slice concept also allows for easy upgrades whenever new sensor slices are introduced.

 

POP300 includes a high-performance Focal Plane Array thermal imager (infrared), a colour CCD TV camera, an automatic video tracker and a laser pointer.

 

An onboard mapping system can also be installed on the platform, along with a digital recorder and a video data link.

 

During the recent AUVSI conference in Tel Aviv, Sky Sapience displayed the prototype of its HoverMast tethered hovering platform.

 

The HoverMast is deployed with a click of a button, rising to heights of up to 50m within 10-15 seconds.

 

Secured by a cable, serving as a power supply and wideband data link, the highly stabilised HoverMast combines advanced flight algorithms and innovative materials to provide the highest payload-to-size ratio available today.

 

Weighing only 10kg, the platform is capable of hosting 9kg payloads such as electro-optic sensors, laser designators, radar and sophisticated COMINT and ELINT systems.

 

Its data link enables the transfer of critical data to selected recipients in real time.

 

The company's CEO, Brig Gen (IAF Ret) Gabriel Shachor, said that the HoverMast is part of a "family" of hovering systems that is being developed by the company.

 

He confirmed that there are negotiations with a number of potential customers.

So balloons and hovering platforms are gaining in popularity.

 

This is mainly for two reasons - relatively low cost, and long endurance. This seems to me a winning combination.