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Jan. 17, 2014
A drone superpower
Israel leads in producing unmanned vehicles.
LINDA GRADSTEIN THE MEDIA LINE
Rishon LeZion, Israel
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are being used in conflicts all over the world, and military analysts say their use is expected to increase. With the clear advantage of not needing pilots, who can be shot down or captured, drones can perform many of the same tasks as manned aircraft.
“The Heron, made by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), can carry several payloads at the same time – it’s a multi-mission multi-payload UAV,” said Dan Bichman, a consultant for IAI and a reserve pilot in the Israeli air force, as he proudly showed off the large drone. “Once [it’s] in the air, [it] can carry simultaneously four or five different payloads, and I can conduct a mission using all of them at the same time, which is very unique in the UAV world. Another advantage is that I can stay in the air for up to 50 hours.”
Bichman said the United States, France and Germany are all using Israeli-made Herons in Afghanistan to fly spy missions. He said several other countries have bought the systems, but he refused to give details.
He was speaking at a recent UAV conference here in the Tel Aviv suburb of Rishon LeZion, where more than 1,500 drone buyers and sellers came together. They came to watch live demonstrations, meet with manufacturers and compare prices. There was a significant representation from Asia, especially China and Singapore, although both journalists and buyers refused to be interviewed.
“This is the first international conference in the world that shows in one place unmanned systems in the air, on the ground and on water,” noted Arieh Egozi, the editor of iHLS, the Israel Homeland Security website, and the conference organizer. “Israel is a superpower in unmanned systems. They started with unmanned aerial systems and they have been flying now for more than 40 years.”
IAI announced that its systems have accumulated more than one million operational flight hours. He said that Israel, which is the leading manufacturer in the world of UAV systems, has a range of systems.
“Israel has developed some systems as small as a butterfly, and others, like the Heron TP, which has a wingspan of 37 metres, which is like a Boeing 737,” Egozi said.
He stood in front of a large vehicle called an Air Mule, currently under development.
“The job of this system is to bring water and ammunition to the front line, and to evacuate wounded soldiers,” he said. “In the Lebanon war [of 2006], a helicopter was shot down when it tried to rescue wounded soldiers. If you use unmanned systems you don’t endanger any pilots.”
These systems do not come cheap. Israel’s defence exports last year topped 10 billion dollars. Some of the larger drones cost several million dollars depending on what kind of cameras they are fitted with. At the Israeli booths offering systems for sale, former generals abounded.
“We are a start-up company and we have developed a revolutionary vehicle called the Hovermast,” said Gabi Shachor, a retired air force general and chief executive officer of Sky Sapience. “It sits on a vehicle and with the push of a button the doors open and the Hovermast rises up to 50 metres. Within seconds, you get real-time video into your vehicle. Because it’s tethered to a vehicle by cable, it can stay up as long as you like – six hours or two days.”
He said the Israeli army has bought two systems for operational evaluations and his company is currently selling more, at about one million per system.
“If you buy a lot, I can give you a very good price,” he said, laughing.
He said Israel sees the future of combat in UAVs. “Israel is already leading in this area and UAVs will do more and more of what is done today by manned platforms,” he explained. “There’s no risk, since there’s no pilot. You can stay airborne for a long time. A pilot can’t stay up that long.”
Looking around the conference hall, there were very few women in evidence. Ofra Bechor, a field application engineer for Green Hills software, a U.S. company that has a branch in Israel, said the UAV field is dominated by men.
“Software and defence are fields that have a lot of men,” she told this reporter. “I’ve never been discriminated against because I’m a woman, but I have been ignored when there are men around.”
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