Raksha Anirveda’s editor, Ajit K. Thakur, spoke with Dror Bar, CEO of ELTA Systems and IAI Vice President, at Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru about ELTA’s product portfolio and business activities. Excerpts from the interview:
RA: Dror, what is ELTA’s offering to India and its other global customers?
DB: ELTA Systems designs, develops, and produces advanced solutions that support our worldwide customer base over an extensive range of mission requirements. These include Situational Awareness Picture (SAP); Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR); Early Warning and Control; Electronic Warfare; Homeland Security (HLS); Force Protection; Self-Defence; Fire Control; Multi-Mission Vehicle Platforms; Autonomous Underwater Systems; SATCOM, SDR and other Comms; C4I; Ground and Aerial Robotics; and Cyber.
Many of our solutions employ advanced electromagnetic sensors (e.g. AESA RADAR, COMINT, ELINT) developed in-house. These sensors utilise the latest technologies, such as Gallium Nitride (GaN) RF components and are complemented by ELTA’s sophisticated exploitation capabilities, which encompass SIGINT, IMINT and GEOINT supported by Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning technologies. Our solutions cover all domains: sea (underwater and surface), land, air and space.
ELTA’s solutions are tailored specifically to customers’ requirements for the purpose of protecting one’s sovereign and/or entity. The solutions can be deployed under or above ground and water, through cyberspace, in the sky, and in space
Our products and solutions are driven by our Customers’ challenging operational requirements. To answer them effectively, we leverage our experience and know how in analysing complex problems and implementing integrated, multidisciplinary solutions. Our success and reputation as a top-tier defence company are reflected in the high level of satisfaction reported by our Customers and in the numerous honours that we have received, including fourteen prestigious Israel Defence Awards for important contributions to our country’s security.
RA: What are ELTA’s main product lines and which of these does it supply to India?
DB: ELTA’s extensive portfolio includes over four hundred products produced by four main business divisions. Our Airborne Systems Division focuses on two main areas: special mission aircraft, such as the AEW systems produced for India, and airborne sensors, such as the Fire Control Radar for India’s indigenous LCA program. We are implementing the latter in close cooperation with HAL, with whom we enjoy a growing relationship.
Over the years, ELTA’s innovative solutions have successfully heeded to customers’ complex operational requirements which have contributed to the company’s worldwide reputation as a top-tier defence manufacture. ELTA is the recipient of numerous prizes and awards, such as receiving fourteen times the most prestigious Israel’s Defence Award
The Radar Division includes large strategic radars such as those used in the Arrow ballistic missile defence system and the radars of the Iron Dome, Barak and David’s Sling missile systems. ELTA’s MMR, the Iron Dome System’s main sensor, has proven its capabilities in the successful interception of thousands of rockets and missiles. The Radar Division’s latest innovations include multi-sensor systems that deploy both active and passive sensors to meet new and involving threats, including low RCS aerial platforms and weapons systems. ELTA is also a pioneer in multi-mode radars that effectively perform both air defence and Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM) duties. The Division’s radars are in service in India.
The Intelligence and Electronic Warfare Division specialises in high-performance ELINT, COMINT and EW systems. Among their latest innovations is a new, revolutionary EW system with unrivalled performance and flexibility, employing ELTA’s AESA technology and unique processing tools. The Division’s products are integrated on systems supplied to India as well.
Finally, the Land Systems Division’s broad product range includes class-leading ground surveillance radars, anti-drone systems; vehicle active protection system radars, Hostile Fire Detection and Location systems, high mobility special forces vehicles and robotic platforms. Again, the Division has products that have either entered service in India or are currently undergoing testing.
ELTA has vast variety of products, currently we have 400 products. The main business line is divided in four divisions, first the Air Borne Systems, divided further into special mission aircrafts like the LCA, for which we have a growing relationship with HAL
RA: What is exceptional about the product development system adopted by ELTA?
DB: In Israel, we have a very unique situation where many citizens continue their military service as reservists well into their 40s. This means that many of the engineers, scientists and technicians responsible for product development at ELTA, actually operate the systems in the field and are thus able to provide immediate and effective feedback, which drives product improvement. This arrangement serves both the country and our company very well.
