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Skylark: The drone that dominates the skies of Gaza
All-female IDF unit uses miniature drones to keep an eye on Hamas activity in Gaza.

Arutz Sheva Staff, 02/10/16 14:47
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Skylark C Drone
Elbit Systems

The border with Gaza may have been mostly quiet in the two years since Operation Protective Edge, but the intelligence battle between Israel and the terrorist organizations in the Strip continues unabated.

In recent years unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) such as recon drones have taken on a greater role in gathering intelligence. One of the most important of such vehicles is the Skylark.

First unveiled by the IDF in 2012, the Skylark is the smallest drone in Israel's current arsenal. The IDF website describes the Skylark as "small, it’s lightweight, it can be carried by one person and set up to be ready to fly in less than 8 minutes." The IDF also says that the Skylark weighs "only seven kilograms, the drones are small, efficient and practically unnoticeable in the air. Equipped with a live video feed, they can fly for up to three hours, at night and in all weather conditions without being detected."

The small size of the Skylark allows it to fly at a lower altitude than other drones while remaining undetected.

The Skylark can be assembled and launched quickly upon the spotting of an object of interest, such as the vehicle of a Hamas leader. It can then be used to track that vehicle's movements. This way the IDF gathers intelligence not only in preparation for the next Gaza conflict, but on possible cross-border raids and tunnel construction.

On the Gaza border there are now all-female units that operate the Skylark, in addition to the male units that have been using the drone since its inception. The Skylark has been given updates to accommodate the female soldiers, with a new catapult-based launching system that replaces the cable-based system still used on larger drones.

The Skylark is used on all of Israel's hostile borders, and was also used to gather information on the location of 3 kidnapped Israeli teenagers during Operation Brother's Keeper.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218574
 
Israel’s Heron drone completes first successful mission in Mali
Germany is using the drone as part of its role in UN peacekeeping force.
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GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER Ursula von der Leyen is received with a guard of honor of Malian soldiers as she visits the EU training mission in Koulikoro, Mali, in April.. (photo credit:REUTERS)

Germany has successfully carried out its first successful operational mission in Mali using the Israeli-made Heron 1 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

The mission took place on November 1 and lasted five hours and 40 minutes.


As part of its role in the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, Germany signed a $100 million deal with Airbus Defense and Space to lease 3 Israeli- made Heron drones in July.

“The first flight is an important step to obtain the declaration of full operational capability,” Airbus said in a statement.

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, a spokeswoman for Israel’s Aerospace Industries said the contract for the Heron 1 UAVs will last from November to February 2018, when Germany plans to lease the larger and more advanced Heron TP UAVs in a $650m. contract.

The Heron TPs are IAI’s most advanced UAVs.

Germany is currently in charge of the intelligence unit in Mali, taking over from the Netherlands in July. It operates the UAVs to secure the perimeter of the United Nations MINUSMA (Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali) as well as to obtain intelligence concerning various terrorist groups in the northeastern Gao region.

French and Malian forces drove al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and other terrorist groups out of Timbuktu over three years ago, leading the Islamists to establish a base of operations in the vast arid north of the country bordering Mauritania and Algeria.

This year has been deadly for MINUSMA, with over 30 troops killed, more than in any other UN peacekeeping mission.

The Heron 1 is a medium-altitude and long-term endurance craft. Equipped with satellite data-link and electro-optical infrared sensors, it is able to not only provide reconnaissance to ground forces, but is also able to track down explosives from the air.

And while the upkeep of the UAVs will be done by Airbus, the analysis of the intelligence gathered by the Heron 1 will be done by German forces. In their statement, Airbus said all “reconnaissance results are made available to the joint evaluation center of the MINUSMA Mission, contributing to increased security for all employees involved.”

Other Heron I systems are already in use in Mali, including those operated by the French Air Force, which has been flying the Harfang, a variant of the Heron 1, since the beginning of the UN mission in January 2013.

MINUSMA has also signed a contract with Thales UK to operate Israeli-made Elbit Hermes 900s, which has a maximum payload of 350 kg. and is able to stay airborne for 36 hours.

The Hermes was used extensively during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza in 2014 as well as during the 2015 World Cup in Brazil.

And while the Israeli-made UAVs in Mali will be used solely for surveillance and intelligence gathering, a video released in April reportedly showed the Israeli-made Herop suicide UAV hitting a bus carrying Armenian soldiers in the conflict ridden Nagorno-Karabakh region, killing seven. The Azerbaijan army was using the UAV against the Armenians last spring during a few weeks of intense fighting.

According to foreign media reports, Israel is considered a leading exporter of drones, with IAI and Elbit selling UAVs to countries including Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Mexico and Singapore.

A spokeswoman for IAI told the Post the company has more than 30 clients around the globe, including Australia and South Korea.

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Is...letes-first-successful-mission-in-Mali-471961

Israel's unmanned combat aerial vehicles ambiguity
Israel operates more than 100 unmanned aerial vehicles and exports drones around the world, including a deal to lease several such aircraft to Germany. But it consistently refuses to divulge details about missions carried out by its UAVs.

Gili Cohen Oct 22, 2016 6:26 PM

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Screenshot of footage from an Israeli drone, hacked by U.S. and U.K. intelligence.
Screenshot from The Intercept

The Defense Ministry has posted an English-language clip on its official YouTube page showing the Hermes 450 drone taking off and cruising in the air, as well as photos of bombardments.
The film details the distance of the Elbit-made medium size UAV, the number of hours it can fly and its range.
One detail is missing – according to foreign media, the Hermes 450 can carry missiles and launch them from the air.



A hint of this can be found in the Defense Minister’s site, boasting that Israel is a superpower in the drone industry.
“In recent years the UAV industry has grown rapidly, following the increased number of missions and their complex character – reconnaissance, surveillance, assisting infantry forces, attack, defense, etc.,” the site says.
It also says that drones “are capable of staying a long time in the air, carrying hundreds of kilograms and have an extended range.”
The American administration, which frequently uses UAVs to attack targets throughout the world, has been blasted for using them as means of extrajudicial execution. Over time President Barack Obama has reduced the use of drones and instructed to issue regulations for their use.
In July the White House said that since Obama took office in 2009 the United States has carried out 473 sorties, most of them by drones, killing 2,372 - 2,581 “terrorist combatants.”
The strikes also killed 64-116 civilians, the statement says, but the figures don’t include the civilians killed in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, where, according to human rights organizations, the number is much higher, reaching into the several hundreds.
Israel consistently refuses to give details of the missions carried out by the drones it manufactures and operates. This week the IDF refused a request of human rights activists to expose its regulations for operating drones in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
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An Hermes 450 drone produced by Elbit. Dave Kolpack, AP
When the Israeli Air Force strikes in Gaza, the military spokesman reports that the strike was carried out by an “aircraft” without elaborating.
Israel has more than 100 drones, which are estimated to take up about 70 percent of the air force’s flying time.
Reports of Israeli drone attacks started a decade ago. In 2006 Aviation Week reported that in the Second Lebanon War Israel used Hermes 450 drones for attacks.
The British army developed the Watchkeeper drone in 2014, on the basis of the Israeli drone. That year the Israeli Air Force site said “although this isn’t an attack drone, the British artillery unit can arm it in the future.”
Elbit’s partner in the Watchkeeper project, Thales, had already presented the remotely piloted air vehicle carrying two missiles under its wings at the London arms fair (called the Defense and Security Equipment International).
The Intercept news site reported that the American and British intelligence services followed the Israeli drones’ activity and documented them armed with missiles.
Over the years more evidence of the drones accumulated. Wikileaks reported in 2011 that Israel uses drones to attack terror activists in Gaza and the Economist reported that senior Hamas official Ahmad Jabari, who was assassinated at the start of the 2012 Israel-Gaza war, was attacked by a Hermes 450 drone.

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An unmanned Heron drone flies over Ein Shemer Airfield in 2012.Alon Ron

Palestinian investigator Dr. Atef Abu Seif, whose findings were published in Haaretz in 2014, found that in the 2012 and 2014 Israel-Gaza wars drones carried out more than 100 sorties, killing more than 120 civilians, including some 30 children. Another report attributed the bombing of arms smuggling convoys in Sudan to an Israeli drone.
Israeli companies, mainly Israel Aerospace Industries and Elbit, sold drones in recent years to a number of countries. In Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan, an Israeli Harop drone – something between a UAV and a missile - was seen carrying out an attack.


An Azerbaijani Israeli-made suicide drone allegedly on a mission in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

In official arms exhibitions overseas customers are offered another model of this drone – Harpy - which was reportedly purchased by India.
Last year when it was learned that India approved buying Israeli Heron TP UAVs, they were reported to be armed.
This was one of the reasons that Germany chose this model, dubbed Eitan in Israel, as part of a giant deal with Israel.
At the beginning of the year the German ministry of defense said it would lease three to five Heron TP drones, as part of an estimated 580 million euro deal. German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said the drone could be armed and said it was “important for the soldiers’ defense.”
The agreement between Israel and Germany is unusual, as the leased drones will be dispatched in Israel, according to German media reports.
A defense source said the German drone operators practiced on a simulator in an Air Force base.
Meanwhile, the German army has encountered a legal obstacle in operating the drones. The Aerospace Industry’s main competitor, General Atomics, which manufactures Predator B, has sued the German defense ministry for preferring the Israeli drone.
According to Israeli officials the deal is proceeding as normal.
Recently, at the Air Force’s request, the drones are now referred to as remotely piloted aerial vehicles, rather than “unmanned,” to stress the human involvement in making and carrying out decisions.
“Ultimately someone has to do it,” says an officer. “It was important to us, both for the motivation and the responsibility, to make it clear that it’s no different from someone sitting in a cockpit. The question is who decides what to do.
"This person is the drone’s operator, who was trained for it ethically and professionally and understands the significance of what he does. It makes him think twice about it,” the officer said.
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.748523
 
IAF to replace Sea Scan fleet with Heron 1 in MPA role
The Israeli air force (IAF) is phasing out its Israel Aerospace Industries Sea Scan 1124 maritime patrol aircraft, with the company’s Heron 1 unmanned air vehicle set to take over in this role.

The three-strong Sea Scan fleet has become costly to maintain, so persistent maritime patrol missions will instead be carried out using the maritime version of the Heron 1.

While the navy may still opt to equip its former US Navy-operated Sikorsky SH-60F Seahawk rotorcraft with new maritime radars, the everyday work will be performed using the Heron 1.

"The Heron 1 has proved its capability to perform long-range, long-endurance maritime patrol missions," Dan Bichman, UAV marketing manager at IAI's Malat division, tells FlightGlobal.

He adds that by using an advanced electro-optical payload – the MOSP made by the Tamam division of IAI is used on the Heron 1 – and the Elta ELM-2022 lightweight airborne maritime surveillance radar, the UAV can perform all the required missions.

"The radar can track hundreds of targets simultaneously from ranges of 200m, and the optical payload is then used to zoom in on the one that looks like a threat," Bichman says.

He adds that for maritime patrol missions, by carrying the radar and the electro-optical payload, the Heron 1 has a 20h endurance.

Bichman notes that while the IAF is acquiring more maritime Heron 1s, other customers around the world have also identified the advantages of this UAV in a maritime patrol mission. "We are just now negotiating the sale of this Heron 1 version to some foreign customers,” he says.

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Israel Aerospace Industries

Meanwhile, the German air force has carried out the first mission using its newly acquired Heron 1 in Mali.

Deployed just three months after the air force signed for the system, the maiden operation in Mali was carried out on 1 November from Gao airport, operating for 5h 40min.

The system is leased from IAI and operated by Airbus Defence and Space.

In July, the Bundeswehr took over responsibility for the intelligence unit in Mali from the Netherlands, where it is carrying out surveillance in support of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali.

The West African mission is scheduled to continue until February 2018.

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https://www.flightglobal.com/news/a...sea-scan-fleet-with-heron-1-in-mpa-ro-431281/
 
Israeli navy considers deploying new UAV type on corvettes

  • 09 NOVEMBER, 2016
  • BY: ARIE EGOZI
  • TEL AVIV


The Israeli navy is assessing the deployment of a fixed-wing extremely short take-off and landing (ESTOL) unmanned air vehicle on its new fleet of corvettes.

ESTOL UAVs are being evaluated as the Israeli navy continues to define what aerial systems it will deploy on-board its four new Saar 6 corvettes and existing SAAR 5 missile vessels.

The ESTOL UAV will be based on propulsive lift technology that will enable it to take off from a very small platform on the navy ship.

The idea has previously been evaluated for commercial aircraft but in recent years it has been considered for use in UAVs.

Israeli sources said “some very interesting ideas” were being evaluated, but no decision is expected before the end of 2017.

Advanced Programs Group (APG) is one company that is developing this type of UAV, and has performed successful test flights with a scaled-down prototype.

The full-scale ESTOL UAV developed by this company will take off from a 2m surface and have a maximum take-off weight of 500kg (1,100lb), including a 200kg payload.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/a...nsiders-deploying-new-uav-type-on-cor-431306/

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IAF Herons take on growing maritime patrol role
Yaakov Lappin, Tel Aviv - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
10 November 2016


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The Israeli Air Force is acquiring additional IAI Maritime Herons. Source: IAI
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) Heron 1 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will soon receive a radar upgrade to better equip them for their growing role in carrying out maritime patrol and intelligence gathering missions, IHS Jane's has learned.

Lieutenant Colonel A (full name withheld for security reasons), the commander of the IAF's 'First UAV Squadron', told IHS Jane's that the Israeli Navy sit in joint operations cabins at his unit's headquarters at Palmachim Air Base, south of Tel Aviv. He said this was a reflection of the growing role that the squadron is playing in maritime operations.

"The trend is to transfer as many missions from manned platforms like those conducted by Seascan [maritime patrol] planes, to unmanned platforms," he said. "This decreases risk to personnel... and is efficient from a budgetary standpoint. It costs less to maintain drones."

The 'First UAV Squadron' flies Heron 1 (Shoval) aircraft that are made by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and officially entered IAF service in 2007. They carry out maritime patrols on a daily basis and are set to soon reach thousands of mission hours a year, the squadron commander said.

The IAF will purchase additional platforms in the coming months and will have "dozens" of Heron 1 systems at its disposal by next year. "We are receiving more drones, and we will upgrade their radars at the end of the year. We will also integrate the camera and radar systems," the commander said, declining to provide further details of the upgrades.

Lt Col A said the platform is key to Israel's ability to deal with a rapidly changing maritime situation. "The Russians are now in the Mediterranean, challenging our presence. How do we continue to guard our borders and assets without approaching the wrong vessel, being shot down, and dragging the country into a diplomatic adventure?" he said.

Want to read more? For analysis on this article and access to all our insight content, please enquire about our subscription options ihs.com/contact


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Brother’s Keepers

The IDF’s ground brigade’s use of the IAF’s most advanced aircraft is expanding. UAV Division personnel talk about the complete partnership in the battlefield, describe Operation “Protective Edge” from above, and know that the partnership will only deepen

Nadav Shaham


In the past few years, UAVs have been escorting and assisting the IDF’s infantry and artillery brigades in order to contribute to the optimal execution of their missions. The division personnel say that it isn’t assistance but partnership, because the UAV is an integral part in the execution of the mission.

“We scan wide areas and identify threats that could endanger the ground forces: hostile armed forces, IED planters, lookouts and ambushes. All of the intel and information we gather is passed down to the forces in the field”, explains Maj. Amit, First Deputy Commander of the “First UAV” Squadron, which operates the “Shoval” (Heron 1) UAV.

“When you perform this mission, you save lives. You see anything that might endanger the forces, alert them ahead of time and know that thanks to you, the soldiers won’t be hurt”, added Maj. Liran, First Deputy Commander of the “First Zik” (Hebrew for Spark) Squadron, which operates the Hermes 450 and “Kochav” (Hermes 900) UAVs. “If a UAV escorts a ground force properly, it will optimally create a scenario in which the ground force won’t encounter any enemies and won’t fire any bullets”.

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Photography: Mor Tzidon

Eye in the Sky
“The UAVs make sure that the enemy is far enough from our combatants and that when attacking it, we will not injure IDF soldiers, they ‘clean’ the targets that the IDF is about to attack and make sure that there are no uninvolved civilians in the area. The UAV will also document the attack site in order to properly understand its outcome”, specifies Maj. Regev, Head of the UAV Section in the Air Support Department.

“The idea is that you have a hunter in the sky that spends many hours above, while its operators develop their expertise in the arena and the mission. This stands in contradiction with other aerial divisions that perform their missions in a defined time and do not spend extended periods of time above the force”, explained Maj. Yair, former First Deputy Commander of the “First Zik” Squadron, who currently serves in the Gaza Division HQ, where he is responsible for the UAV Division’s activity in special missions.

The UAVs fly above the force and create an intelligence report, which is then communicated to the Command Post and from it to the force on the ground. If the force has operational requests it wants the UAV to perform, it communicates it to the Command Post, which in turn updates the operators in the mission station. A shortened process, which promotes direct communication between the force and the mission station is being partially implemented in the “Shoval” Platform and was tested in a Brigade Exercise in which the squadron participated.

UAV operators routinely study the ground force’s orders and combat doctrines. “One of the unique things about our activity that sets us apart from other aircraft is our operational flexibility. We can start a mission in a certain arena and find ourselves in a different mission in a different arena an hour later, while assisting a different brigade. This is why comprehensive knowledge of all arenas among our personnel is of utmost importance to us. We know what mission we are flying into, but we cannot know what we will be required to do for the duration of the sortie”, explained Maj. Liran.

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Archive Photo

All Seeing
“The payloads contain day & night cameras that scan large areas in high resolution. Some of them broadcast the image in real time and in some the products are recorded and unloaded after the sortie”, said Lt. Col. Haim, Head of the UAV Branch in the Material Directorate.

“When we are required to follow individuals, they might walk under a net and we would have trouble seeing them in the surveillance system. This is why we have an infra-red based night vision configuration which detects body heat from beyond the barrier and lets us see them”, said Maj. Liran.

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Photography: Mor Tzidon

Non Stop
2014 Operation “Protective Edge”. A “Shoval” UAV took off for a mission when its operators identified unusual activity in the arena. Suddenly, a number of armed attackers burst out of what would later be identified as an underground tunnel. Ground and aerial forces are scrambled to the area by the operators in the mission station and neutralize the threat. “We were able to contain the incident and prevent the enemy forces from arriving at their target”, said Lt. Col. Shay, who was the Commander of the “First UAV” Squadron during the operation.

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Photography: Mor Tzidon

Reaping the Fruits
The operation unequivocally clarified the importance of the mission. “I remember conversations with the Central Command Commander and the Division Commanders, in which they described how the UAV Division was in practice an additional force that operated beside them, shoulder to shoulder, that was able to respond to their needs and that helped them perform their missions. The squadron underwent a significant process in the operation in the aspect of integration in the assistance mission, while implementing conclusions from the past”, shared Lt. Col. Shay.

“In the years before the operation, we were mostly occupied with learning and bettering our abilities and in Operation ‘Protective Edge’ we reaped the fruits of that work”, added Maj. Amit.

“The forces have understood our abilities, so today, their requests are more extensive. They want us with them”, clarified Maj. Segev. Lt. Col. Shay added: “Today, there is no brigade that wouldn’t want a UAV above it in combat. The ground forces are our brothers and sisters, our friends, we are all partners in the same mission. The mission requires a deep acquaintance, preliminary knowledge of the battle program and mutual work throughout the year. Because the minute we step into the battlefield, we will operate as one, combined and sharp and we will execute the mission of protecting our home”.

http://www.iaf.org.il/4453-47708-en/IAF.aspx

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perational Capability). In the coming year it is expected to receive more Hermes 900 UAVs and multiply its existent order of power by six. “The ‘Kochav’ will revolutionize the world of UAVs”
Nadav Shaham


The UAV Squadron that operates the "Kochav" (Hermes 900) UAV will multiply the number of Hermes 900 UAVs that it operates by six during the coming year. "The ‘Kochav' will revolutionize the world of UAVs", stated Lt. Col. Daniel, the Squadron Commander. "The platform is a base for many operational technological abilities that will be integrated and immigrate from manned to unmanned platforms".

On July 15, 2014, during operation "Protective Edge" over the Gaza strip, the UAV took off for its first operational mission in the IAF. Its mission was part of a process that ended with an airstrike that destroyed terror infrastructure. The "Kochav" gathered hundreds of flight hours throughout the campaign and performed its mission more than 100 times with an extremely high success rate.

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Expanding the IAF's Performance
Following operation "Protective Edge", the "Kochav" was officially integrated in the IAF and since then the squadron has grown steadily. "We are widely occupied with the technological capabilities of UAVs", shared Lt. Col. Daniel. "We are proceeding steadily and we recently broke the aircraft's endurance record and reached a number of hours that even the manufacturer couldn't reach".

Clearly, most of the interesting details regarding the aircraft are classified. But we can say that it consists of a technological quantum leap that provides the IAF with new capabilities and allows it to operate in very long ranges. The "Kochav" has a capacity of a 350 kg and is designed to be able to carry a number of payloads on a number of hardpoints under its wings. Its endurance abilities allow it to perform very lengthy, long range missions during a single sortie. "The integration of new abilities that expand the IAF's performance is another milestone in the aerial force's strengthening and renewal process", said Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel, IAF Commander, in the "Kochav" integration ceremony a year ago. "The UAV division is developing quality and quantity wise and is taking a central position in most of the IAF's missions".

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http://www.iaf.org.il/4454-48846-en/IAF.aspx
 
BlueBird wins Israeli target UAV contract
  • 21 DECEMBER, 2016
  • SOURCE: FLIGHTGLOBAL.COM
  • BY: ARIE EGOZI
  • TEL AVIV
BlueBird has won a contract to supply a target variant of an unmanned air vehicle to the Israeli air force (IAF), to enable it to train its air defence units.

The IAF has selected BlueBird’s ThunderB after it completed a series of test flights in which it reached a speed of 150km/h (81kt) and a ceiling of 15,000ft.

The target version of the ThunderB will carry a simple optical payload.

Regional militants have attempted to enter Israeli air space using UAVs, with the last such attempt being made on 20 September when an IAF fighter shot down a Hamas UAV over the Gaza coastline.

getasset.aspx


The ThunderB

BlueBird

According to the Israeli defence force, the UAV had been under full surveillance from the moment it took off, and it did not cross into or fly through Israeli air space.

Iran has been involved in an effort to equip militants in Lebanon with armed UAVs, and this is one of the reasons the IAF is simulating attacks by large numbers of armed UAVs to train against.

All attempts to penetrate Israeli airspace so far have involved one UAV or in some cases two.

Intelligence assessments point to the possibility that swarms of UAVs will be used to attempt to enter Israeli airspace.

The IAF is using a simulator to get ready for this, which involves the use of Patriot missiles and various aircraft types to shoot down the armed UAVs before they can hit targets in Israel.

Israeli sources said the threat, especially from Lebanon, could range from radio-controlled UAVs carrying small explosive loads to large UAVs with payloads of hundreds of kilograms.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/bluebird-wins-israeli-target-uav-contract-432642/
 
Israeli drone built to replace manned security guards
Percepto hopes in the coming months to receive permission to deploy their commercial drone security service.


An Israeli company says it has developed a fully autonomous commercial drone system that can provide around-the-clock service and security, without the need for human intervention, at sensitive and strategic sites.

By using sensors and real-time computer vision technology, the company, Percepto, says its drone system is able to deal with ad-hoc situations and react autonomously to potential security threats.

In addition, it can carry out safety missions such as detecting smoke or gas leaks, and conduct routine inspections to identify abnormalities such as corrosion or damage to infrastructure, the company's Chief Commercial Officer, Ariel Avitan, says.

"Our applications are based on three tiers of value: first one is security - the ability for the drone to autonomously detect humans or cars by using computer vision in real-time, and enabling the drone to identify a human or a car, alert that there is something wrong, or there is someone... a suspicious object near a fence and then track it if needed, if it's ordered to.. and on top of that the biggest value of having a drone on site is continuous inspection, the ability for the drone to inspect different kinds of objects - if it's high-voltage towers, grid, solar panels, chimneys and power utilities - that enables the drone to provide constant data on the status of these objects," Avitan told Reuters from the company offices in the central Israeli city of Modi'in.

The system is comprised of three main components, Avitan explained. A ground station that charges and shelters the drone, and communicates with it, the drone itself that carries the company's core module and real-time computer vision applications, installed on the core.

The advanced technology enables the drone to collect the data, analyze it in real time and react according to clients' needs.

"We teach it with thousands of pictures of a human being, how a human being looks like in different kinds of shapes and sizes, so the next time it sees a human being it will know that this is a human being, same with a car, same thing with a high-voltage tower… that enables the drone to autonomously identify and classify different images and understand what it sees. Now once it knows what it sees there are different kinds of sequences of flights that we ask it to do per the identification," Avitan added.

In one scene of a promotional company video a security breach scenario is depicted.

In the video the drone is seen launching automatically and heading to the designated area after a security alert was generated.

As it arrives on site it uses computer vision technology to analyze the image, identify the intruder, follow him and keep him in sight, until a security team arrives.

Located on site and providing constant data collection and service, the system is designed to offer large utility companies a more efficient and effective security and inspection system, that also reduces the risk for company employees, says Ofir Bar Levav of Tyco Innovations which specializes in security systems and teamed up with Percepto to promote its drone.

"Today if you look at an average facility, we protect it with fences, smart fences, with detectors with fixed cameras. The drones enable us to offer something unique in terms of value to our customers as we offer something which is not just a fixed camera looking at a specific field of view, but actually enables us to replace manned guards, manned patrols and provide a real smart device that is onsite 24/7, able to run routine tasks, but also deliver ad hoc missions and response faster than any human being can," he said.

Avitan says Percepto mostly targets major utility companies of the energy sector, that will be able to program the autonomous system to monitor and protect solar fields, pipelines, chimneys, high-voltage towers, grid and other sensitive facilities that require high level of security, safety and constant inspection and maintenance. He says that its overall contribution will increase productivity.

For Percepto, privacy is not an issue, as it seeks to create a means of deterrence against uninvited guests. The drone is designed to be very noisy, has noticeable lighting on board and enables the operator to speak through a loudspeaker to people on ground.

The use of commercial drones is still not fully regulated but Avitan and Bar Levav, who say they follow closely US FAA's (Federal Aviation Administration) developing rules, believe that in the coming months they will allow commercial drones to conduct fully autonomous patrol and surveillance for security purposes.

http://www.jpost.com/Business-and-I...uilt-to-replace-manned-security-guards-476469
 

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