Israel’s defense tech sector showcases Israel’s pioneering edge

Now, Israel needs to keep producing the best leading-edge defense technology to manage the future battlefield and confront future threats.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN DECEMBER 12, 2024 18:15

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) new passive high-performance gunfire detection system (GDS): OTHELLO-P. (photo credit: ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES)

Recently, more than one hundred and twenty students took part in a hackathon aimed at providing solutions to the defense technology sector in Israel. One of the teams was made up of students who are all members of the Druze minority in Israel. The team showcased their innovation to solve a problem for combat vehicles and sensors that are deployed on the battlefield.In essence, a lot of combat vehicles and other systems now rely on cameras and various sensors and electro-optics that provide the operators with a way to see what is happening. What happens when the sensors get clouded with dirt and dust?

The team sought to solve this by cleaning the external cameras using a rolling film system. The members of the team are reservists. This was one of the many technologies presented at a recent Defense Tech Summit at Tel Aviv University. Israel has been at war for more than a year. During that year, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have been called up to fight in the war. This has taken many young people out of their studies and sent them to the front. It has taken people out of companies, such as start-ups.

Now, Israel needs to keep producing the best leading-edge defense technology to manage the future battlefield and confront future threats. The war has reached a less intense phase. There is a two-month ceasefire in Lebanon. In Gaza, there are three IDF divisions deployed, but the fighting is less intense. That means that many people have been able to return home. It also means that the Israeli Defense Ministry is focused on acquiring a lot more defense systems.

A sub-scale sized model of an hydro-oceanographic survey and multi-missions vessel BHO2M by KERSHIP is displayed at Euronaval, the world naval defence exhibition in Le Bourget near Paris, France, October 23, 2018. (credit: REUTERS/BENOIT TESSIER)

For instance, the Israel Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research & Development announced recently that “it has completed several contracts with Elbit Systems totaling approximately $40 Million. Under these contracts, Elbit Systems will supply the IDF with advanced drones and autonomous systems to upgrade the operational capabilities of its forces in the field.” This is important. Elbit makes a number of smaller drones that are important for the battlefield.“The new systems were jointly developed by the Israel Defense Ministry’s DDR and D jointly developed the new systems with the IDF’s Ground Forces and Elbit Systems. They include advanced capabilities and are designed for various missions, including precise intelligence gathering and targeted strikes,” the ministry said.

Days after the drone deal, the ministry also said it had approved a procurement deal to buy five advanced Reshef-class missile ships from Israel Shipyards. The deal is worth $780 million. This is only the tip of the iceberg of the massive investment Israel is making in new technologies and systems. Israel is acquiring a plethora of new systems for the army, navy and air force. Part of this means investing heavily in small Israeli companies and start-ups. Israel’s advances in terms of start-ups and technology is well known. What is perhaps less well known is how much this is important in the defense sector.

At the Defense Tech Summit the Head of The Israel Defense Ministry (IMOD), Directorate of Defense, Research and Development Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Dr. Daniel Gold said that “air and missile defense is changing the world.” He pointed to systems such as Arrow 3 that has been used to stop missiles launched from Yemen.“We are continuously improving our air & missile defense systems; during the war alone, we implemented dozens of system improvements. In the current war, David's Sling and Iron Dome successfully intercepted rockets, missiles, UAVs, and cruise missiles,” he said.

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Issues of value

This is important because a drone recently struck a building in Yavne after being launched from Yemen. Israel has to remain one step ahead of the drone threat. “During the war, we worked with dozens of startups in the field. We created a methodology for integrating a startup in the field - something the world is still trying to figure out,” Gold said. 

Overall, what was clear in Tel Aviv this week at the summit on December 10 and 11 is how hungry Israel is for new technologies and trying to solve problems quickly. This showcases the pioneering spirit of Israelis. The same people who rushed to the frontline on October 7, are now rushing to the technology frontline to create new applications using artificial intelligence and other technologies. There are numerous stories of heroism and innovation in this sector.Young students who fought in Gaza and then came back and helped develop systems that will help save lives in the next war. This could mean things like new types of tourniquets or ways to detect threats. The war has been traumatic and difficult, however what may come out of it are the ways to fight the wars of the future and save lives. Life saving technology deployed on the battlefield can also help in other circumstances such as national disasters.