Tel Aviv: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a commonly used buzz word in relation to military systems. But one Israeli company has developed AI systems that help military operators make faster, more accurate decisions and improve the survivability of both personnel and equipment. The systems are used by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and some foreign countries with a long list of potential customers.
The ongoing war against the Hamas terror organisation in Gaza and the 12 days war aimed at destroying the Iranian nuclear sites proved the critical role of AI in the operational success of forces on the ground, in the air and at sea.
Israeli company Axon Vision managed to use AI based systems to give military platforms an edge over the enemy. Axon Vision has developed advanced computer vision and deep learning solutions designed to enhance situational awareness and automate threat detection for both manned and unmanned military platforms.
In a special interview, Brig General (Ret.) Roy Riftin, CEO of the company and Ori Naor, the company’s VP- Business Development and Marketing explained how the company’s products are used by different armed forces.
The two said that in addition to the IDF the company made initial sales to the Swiss Army and recently signed a strategic partnership with Czechoslovak Group (CSG) from the Czech Republic, one of the largest defence companies in Europe.
According to the Israeli company, the collaboration and initial order, led within CSG by its subsidiary Retia, marks the first step in a broader partnership to modernise European armoured vehicle fleets and pursue various opportunities in the region.
”We are now in negotiations with Sweden and Finland,” Riftin said.
One of the company’s prominent solutions is the EdgeUAV system, which uses AI to detect, identify, and track aerial threats such as drones. This system is currently used by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to protect against drone attacks, providing real-time alerts and reducing false alarms by distinguishing between genuine threats and benign objects like birds.
During the war with Lebanon the Hezbollah launched a large number of armed UAVs to hit targets in Israel. The topography of Northern Israel and the low radar signature of these UAV made it very complicated for the Israeli aura defence systems to intercept these therats. This operational problem received a solution based on the company’s EdgeUAV system.
The systems are designed for plug-and-play integration with various camera and sensor setups, offering flexibility for both military and commercial applications.
Another interesting system the company has developed is the Edge 360 that enables armoured vehicles like main battle tanks and APCs to move with closed hatches, while identifying targets and engage them with the weapon systems carried by them.The company’s systems are also used to make different types of UAVs more efficient in the missions they perform.
“We enable UAVs to detect and identify an enemy even if the optical payload does not supply a definite classification. This enables the UAV to attack the target seconds after it was initially spotted,” Naor pointed out.
Brig Gen (Retd.) Roy Riftin and Ori Naor explained that the optical payload transmits the images to the ground station where the company’s AI systems makes the final identification.
“The command to use the weapons carried by the UAV is given by the crew of the ground station,” they said and further added, “Our systems enable the detection of an armed UAV from a long range.”
The two emphasised that the combination of their AI systems and optical sensors increases the probability of interception dramatically.
Axon Vision offers clients to upgrade systems existing in service platforms with their unique AI systems and in parallel when the platform is under development, to integrate it with other systems aimed at achieving greater effectivity in the battlefield.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
