Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
The new cengtury has seen the rise of the role of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in militaries around the world. According to David Rodman's article, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in the service of the Israeli Air Force, "in terms of technological sophistication of its UAS force, Israel is unquestionably well ahead of the pack. Only the United States (US) is in the same league."
Compared to the US, who's turbulent UAS history has led to a disjointed environment that is limited by debates over mission requirements, inter-service rivalry over UAS development, and relatively low morale, Israel’s UAS history has been relatively stable. Since the 1970’s, Israel has taken steps to expand and improve the mission effectiveness of its UAS fleet. Overall, the Israelis have been pioneers in the UAS industry.
Although Israel was not the first country to indigenously produce UASs, it was among the first to use UASs in combat operations. The United States used Lightning Bug and Buffalo Hunter drone aircraft during the Vietnam War in the 1960’s and were the leaders in UAS technology in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. In fear that Egypt’s surface-to-air missile systems would put the lives of aircrew at risk, Israel took advantage of the US UAS technology and acquired Teledyne Ryan’s long range UAS, the Firebee, from the Unites States. In July 1971, Israel received the first twelve Firebees and carried out the first operational flight in September in the area of the Suez Canal to aid in finding the location of a downed IAF plane. Also during this period, Israel acquired 27 of Northrop’s small UAS, the Chukar, designed to draw enemy antiaircraft fire.
During the Yom Kippur War, both the Chukar and the Firebee saw extensive action. During the war, Israel launched Chukars toward the Golan Heights, and made the Syrians believe that a large formation of combat planes were going to strike their antiaircraft positions. The subsequent firing of Syrian antiaircraft weapons allowed the Israelis to identify their firing positions and eventually destroy them. During the war, Israel launched twenty-three Chukars and five did not return.5 Israel used their Chukars mostly in the north and they used their Firebees on the Egyptian front in the south. During the 12 days of fighting, Firebees conducted 19 flights and 10 were either shot down or crashed.
Following the Yom Kippur War, the Israeli operational UAS focus diverged from the US operational focus as the US concentrated its efforts on the Central Front in Europe. During this period, the Israelis began an effort to produce their own indigenous UASs focusing on their reconnaissance and security needs. The US Air Force UASs developed during the 1970s were designed to accomplish three missions in a major war in Europe against Warsaw Pact forces: 1) weapon delivery against heavily protected targets; 2) tactical electronic and optical reconnaissance (both high and low altitude); and 3) electronic combat (jamming and chaff dispensing).7 In contrast, the Israeli’s operational focus was on defensive security including EW and reconnaissance. The already proven capabilities of the Chukar in the EW realm allowed Israel to focus their UAS development on reconnaissance.
Six years after the Yom Kippur War, the Israelis developed their own UAS, the Israeli Aircraft Industry's (IAI) Scout. The Scout was an improvement over the Firebee and could perform reconnaissance by broadcasting pictures from a stabilized camera. The Scout saw its first combat activity during the Lebanon missile crisis in 1981. During the crisis, which served as a preview for the First Lebanon War, the Scout successfully broadcasted real-time pictures of the Syrian antiaircraft systems deployed in the area. 8 During the First Lebanon War, the Israelis used the Scout for intelligence collection including locating antiaircraft batteries and armored vehicles, conducting battle damage assessment (BDA), and locating fallen aircraft. Israel also used the Firebee and Chukar in the First Lebanon war, but with less operational success than the Scout.
Israel continued to use both the Firebee and the Chukar into the 1990s. The Chukar remained in the Israeli Air Force inventory until 1990 and the Firebee until 1996. During the late 1970’s and into the 1980’s, Israel overtook the US as the leader in the UAS industry. During this time, Israel developed and fielded the most capable reconnaissance UAS systems in the world. Israel developed small MALE UASs such as the Pioneer that could provide long duration reconnaissance in a low threat environment. In contrast, the US attempts to develop very large and complex UASs, such as the BGM-34C multi-mission UAS and the MR-UAV (Medium Range Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), failed due to budget cutbacks, cost overruns and competition with other systems. Instead of pursuing these UASs, the US eventually focused their acquisition efforts on cruise missiles, stealth, and standoff weapons. As a result, leading into The Gulf War the US did not have a reconnaissance UAS in its aircraft inventory. To fill this gap, the US purchased the Pioneer from Israel.
In the later years, there were many instances of US defense contractors collaborating with IAI contractors to develop UAS systems. A good example of this interaction is the partnership between General Dynamics and Elbit to develop Hermes and Skylark systems for the US department of defense.
Despite its size, Israel has developed a UAS program that is one of the best in the world. The IAF's ability to focus its UAS development efforts and aircrew training to meet its ongoing mission requirements forms the basis of its operational effectiveness. Israel’s combative past, combined with its excellent defense industry helped it continually improve its UAS programs.
In the late 1990s the Israelis began promoting the Moab system, in which unmanned aerial vehicles counter ballistic missiles during their boost phase. This effort involved using UAVs armed with Python 4 air-to-air missiles. Planners argued that an ability to operate at high altitudes and loiter for days virtually immune from attack by either surface-to-air missiles or fighters made them especially useful for engaging theater ballistic missiles soon after launch. Analysts found that high-altitude, long-endurance UAVs could complement terminal missile defense systems cost-effectively. They began developing the HA–10, a stealthy, long-endurance unmanned vehicle, but never built it, concluding that since American support for such a venture was unlikely, the required financing for the project would not be forthcoming. Zach Rosenberg reported 28 November 2012 that the Israeli military was developing a large, classified unmanned air vehicle (UAV) with features consistent with stealthy aircraft designs.
Israeli requests flooded in on the United States of America to obtain drones “as much as possible and as quickly as possible,” in the wake of the October 7 attack, and it does not matter to them whether Beijing manufactured them or Washington, according to a November 10, 2023 report by the American newspaper “The Wall Street Journal”.
These requests, according to the report, come from military personnel, members of the Israeli government, and ordinary citizens, all of whom are searching for small drones whose use has become common among civilians, according to American executives at drone production companies, and Israelis cooperating with the army.
Over the weeks, thousands of commercial drones have arrived in Israel, some of them from American companies and many of them manufactured by Chinese companies and sold in the United States. According to the Wall Street Journal, these drones are used to assist in searching for hostages, collecting intelligence information, and protecting Israeli towns.
Regarding the lack of distinction between American and Chinese drones, Bobby Sakaki, a specialist in the field of drones in Salt Lake City, USA, said: “In times of conflict, do not take a political position.” Chinese drones sell for a few thousand dollars and can take real-time aerial photos at an altitude of hundreds or thousands of feet, while American drones, which can be more advanced and are not designed for hobbyists, often sell for about five times more than drones made in China. Both drones can monitor enemy movements and search for survivors, as well as spy, and do not require any significant hands-on training to operate.
The newspaper pointed out that the major armies seem not to be equipped to face the reality of new wars, as Israel rushed towards purchasing cheap, ready-to-use drones, as it is the country that produces one of the most widely used drones.
The Wall Street Journal reported that small drones will be useful to Israel in the process of recovering hostages held by Hamas (classified as a terrorist organization in the United States and a number of countries) in the Gaza Strip. Also, as ground battles intensify in urban areas in Gaza, both Israel and Hamas will increasingly use these drones.
The Israeli army used Chinese drones in reconnaissance and border monitoring operations, and continues to work to enhance those efforts. Sakaki said he helped prepare deals to export hundreds of drones to Israel, adding that about 90% of them are Chinese-made.
The Israeli government tasked its domestic drone providers to develop longer range, higher-speed armed UAVs, as Jerusalem considers its potential options for strikes against Iran in the future, defense sources told Arie Egozi at Breaking Defense November 11, 2022. At least three such armed UAVs are now in different development stages. Some are upgrades of currently operational systems, while others are totally new designs. The effort is focused primarily on longer endurance, as well as lowering the signature of the systems. The specifics of these UAV’s are highly classified even as they perform missions almost daily. Over 80 % of the total number of flight hours performed by the IAF are with UAV of different types. The Israeli army used at least 14 types of drones in its 2023 operation in the Gaza Strip. These aircraft perform several functions, the most important of which is collecting information and helping combat aircraft and ground forces carry out their missions. There are two types of Israeli intelligence aircraft, one manned and the other unmanned. The manned aircraft consist of 6 types, and these aircraft assist in the movement of ground forces and the maneuvers they perform , and they also move and supervise the movement of military aviation. As for unmanned aircraft, the IDF used 8 types, which are used for monitoring and tracking and have the ability to launch missiles and bullets. They are divided into 3 types, some of which fly at high altitudes, some of which are medium-sized helicopters, and the latter are small drones.
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