Tel Aviv: In the ongoing war that Israel fights against the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Hamas in Gaza, the two Iranian proxies gives the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) the opportunity to evaluate the capabilities of some robotic ground systems developed by Israeli companies.
Across the world, there is a growing sense that land-based forces need to begin relying heavily on unmanned combat vehicles and industry is ready to chip in.
As reported by Raksha Anirveda, Israeli firms bolstered by serious interest from the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) are hoping to get more business based on the growing interest. Firms are moving quickly to plug R&D money into this new sector, while the IDF is working on acquiring a variety of new systems – largely classified due to the payloads they carry.
While the firms may not be able to advertise exactly what they’re putting on their systems, the hope among executives is that seeing the systems in use by the IDF will lead to greater interest abroad.
The efforts to develop ground robotics systems for the IDF is shared by many of the Israeli defence companies.
Some months ago, two Israeli companies, Elbit Systems and Roboteam launched a new design known as the ROOK, a multi-payload military 6X6 Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV). In announcing the design, the companies hyped what they call a built-in autonomous suite. That capability should allow ROOK to navigate rough terrain in order to deliver supplies, evacuate personnel as needed and perform intelligence gathering. The companies mention the potential of on-board VTOL systems to operate as a remote weapons platform.
The new design is capable of carrying up to 1,200 kg of payload, with a ground clearance of 24 cm, with power for eight hour operations and a max speed of around 30 km per hour. Notably, the companies believe the control unit can be operated by one individual and that individual can actually control a handful of ROOKS at once.
Roboteam, of which Elbit Systems holds 25%, is a good example of how Israel’s domestic focus on unmanned systems is paying off on the international market.
The company has sold hundreds of systems to the IDF, the US military and the British and French armies to date.
Among other things, it provided the IDF with a tiny 2.5 kg robot that travels on chains and can first break into houses and underground spaces and transfer intelligence backward.
The company also produces the Rooney, a small system carried by a soldier, which can carry a cargo of several kilograms, patrol or be sent on suicide missions while carrying cargo.
Meanwhile, existing Israeli designs continue to be marketed globally, including in Europe.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the country’s largest defence contractor, is unsurprisingly also invested in unmanned ground vehicles. Recently the company unveiled its new generation of systems, known as the Rex MK 2. The company claims the system is “semi-autonomous,” with the ability to perform some operations on its own; it can also be guided by humans remotely through an electronic controller.
Officials from IAI said the vehicle was built to support Israeli military ground forces in different levels of fighting. It can carry equipment and supplies, gather intelligence and open fire at nearby targets. It also comes equipped with two machine guns and a series of cameras and sensors.
Another IAI system, the Jaguar, is seeing live action closer to home. The IDF has now confirmed that they are using the Jaguar along the Gaza border as part of an operational assessment. Should everything go well, the IDF plans to equip the system with more sensors and weapons.
In an interesting note, the IDF states that the Jaguar has a way to “neutralise” classified parts of its design should it be captured; it also can send a GPS notification if an aerial strike is required to destroy it.
A senior IAI official called Jaguar the most advanced design of a robotic system. He added that the sensor package on the Jaguar “is tailored to the user’s operational needs and can include optical and radar sensors.”
Since the war broke out on October 7, 2023, the IDF has been using some robotic systems in the war zones.
In some publications, this operational use has been dubbed ”The Robotic Task Force”. This is by any standard a much exaggerated definition. What is being evaluated now is mainly one thing – how to jointly operate the robotic systems in combat.
Tal Yeshya , business development manger of IAI, Land Division told Raksha Anirveda that the current effort is focused on operating a number of robotic ground systems to perform a mission with the use of our proven technologies and in combination with AI based systems to work on achieving the most efficient way to jointly operate these robotic systems.
“We developed the Carmel concept of operating a ground systems with a crew of two and now we work on the way to jointly operate a number of ground systems with a team of five to seven operators. Our target is to achieve a fully autonomous operation of some ground systems. One thing must be clear- when we talk about an armed platform, the command to open fire will have a man in the loop,” Tal Yeshya added.
At this point in time, two remotely controlled ground systems can be seen in the fighting zones – D-9 bulldozers and old M-113 APC’s that perform logistic missions.
-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
