Back to news

October 15, 2019 | International, Aerospace

Israel's Elbit Systems sells $153M worth of mini-drones to unnamed country

ByEd Adamczyk

Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems announced the sale of over 1,000 THOR mini-drones to an unnamed Southeast Asian country in a $153 million deal.

The contract for the unmanned aircraft systems, including other unmanned aircraft manufactured by the company, will be executed over a 22-month period, Elbit said earlier this week.

The contract calls for THOR multirotor vertical-takeoff-and-landing mini-drones, as well as larger Skylark LEX, Skylark 3 and Hermes 450 tactical models and ground control stations.

The drones are light and small, and suited for reconnaissance missions. At nine pounds, it can carry a 1.5-pound payload, typically a camera, to an altitude of 2,000 feet. It features a 4-mile range and can stay aloft for up to 55 minutes. The Israel Defense Force uses the aircraft extensively on its northern border with Lebanon.

"This contract award underlines our competitive edge as armies increasingly view multi-layered UAS [unmanned aerial systems] solutions as key to providing superior intelligence and maintaining a high level of operational flexibility," said the Bezhalel Machil, Elbit president.

While the receiving country was not named, Asia is a burgeoning market for the aircraft. Israel is a leading developer of unmanned aerial vehicles, once selling up to $500 million per year, a figure reduced in recent years by competition from China. The Philippines reportedly were nearing a deal with Elbit worth $180 million in the summer.

https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2019/10/11/Israels-Elbit-Systems-sells-153M-worth-of-mini-drones-to-unnamed-country

On the same subject

  • Danish radars on French aircraft carrier

    March 27, 2020 | International, Naval

    Danish radars on French aircraft carrier

    Aarhus, March 25, 2020 - The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which visits Danish waters this week, is equipped with two radar systems provided by Terma. The SCANTER 6000 radar systems are used for surveillance, search and navigation at sea - and in the air to guide helicopters on landing. In recent years, Terma has provided radar systems to a number of vessels in the French Navy through a collaboration with the French defense company Naval Group, which among others has built Charles de Gaulle. The French carrier has a fixed crew of about 2,000 men and weighs about 40,500 tonnes. It is accompanied by several escort ships and will be accompanied by the Danish frigate Niels Juel of the Iver Huitfeldt class during its visit. Through its long-standing partnership with the Danish Navy, Terma has provided radar systems, self-defense systems and command-control systems to all of the Navy's large naval vessels, including the three frigates, which also make use of the same radar type SCANTER 6000 as Charles de Gaulle. Terma's radar systems are used by many countries around the world on many different types of navy and coastguard vessels due to their ability to see small targets such as fast crafts and jet skis at long range and in all kinds of weather. Terma's radars are therefore also used for coastal and traffic surveillance e.g. at VTS Storebælt. About us The Denmark based high-tech Terma Group develops products and systems for defense and non-defense security applications; including command and control systems, radar systems, self-protection systems for aircraft, space technology, and aerostructures for the aircraft industry. Follow us on Instagram Twitter Linkedin Youtube Media contact: Kasper Rasmussen T:+45 2022 6091 E: kar@terma.com View source version on Terma Group : https://www.terma.com/press/news-2020/danish-radars-on-french-aircraft-carrier/

  • NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) and CTEM – Better Together

    September 5, 2024 | International, C4ISR, Security

    NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) and CTEM – Better Together

    Discover how NIST CSF 2.0 and CTEM align to improve proactive cybersecurity through continuous monitoring.

  • The Army’s new directorate eyes multidomain integration

    July 22, 2020 | International, C4ISR

    The Army’s new directorate eyes multidomain integration

    Mark Pomerleau WASHINGTON — The Army has created a new entity within is operations and plans directorate, G-3/5/7, to focus on non-physical capabilities and better ready the service for multidomain operations. The new directorate, Department of the Army's Management Office-Strategic Operations (DAMO-SO), was created about six months ago and replaces DAMO-CY, which focused primarily on cyberspace operations. The organization now encompasses cyber, electronic warfare, information operations, space, enterprise IT networks, tactical communications networks, data architectures and artificial intelligence. “We're an organization that pulls together a lot of the multidomain operating capabilities. Things like cyber, electronic warfare, information operations, space,” Brig. Gen. Martin Klein, director of DAMO-SO, told C4ISRNET in a July 20 interview. “We're also bringing into the directorate the capabilities of really underwriting the Army's ability to digitally transform into this new era ... Part of what we've been asked to do is underwrite multidomain operations and then to digitally enable our warfighting systems.” The office will serve as the Army point of contact for joint initiatives with the other services, namely Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2). Klein said his organization is the Army's lead entity for the JADC2 cross functional team. The team will also work with the Air Force in experimenting with its Advanced Battle Management System, which is considered an early possibility for the JADC2 program. “One of the tenets of multidomain operations is the recognition that we fight and win as a joint force,” he said. “A lot of what I do, frankly, is develop capabilities with the Army but coordinate those capabilities throughout our sister services to make sure that we can fight and win certainly in the competition space ... in conflict if it should arise.” Additionally, the team will work to standardize data and data architectures within the Army and joint force to ensure interoperability. But a key distinction between the predecessor organization and the newly formed office was the importance of space, Klein said. “As the Army looked at the Multidomain Task Force and, in particular, how to win in multidomain contested operations, we came to the realization of how interdependent our space-based capabilities are,” he explained. One of the key premises to the office was the notion of better posturing the Army in the competition phase against near peer adversaries that are seeking to exploit the so-called gray zone below the threshold of armed conflict. The new office works as an integrator across the Army – especially within the G-3/5/7 – of how offices can better organize, restructure or resource these non-kinetic capabilities. Along with Army Futures Command, it also looks at emerging capabilities and, with the various program executive offices, examines what capabilities are needed now. “What we primarily do is we address this capability through a policy lens, but we also go forward and do resourcing ... we work with a strategy team here in the Army G-3/5/7 to make sure that competition and conflict strategies are deconflicted and we certainly work without operational folks ... to make sure when we go through a plan and when we mobilize ... that we have the right organizations within our cyber, electronic warfare and our information operations space,” Klein said. Klein said he was tasked to keep his finger on the pulse of the emerging multidomain concept as others across the Army look at how the Army will fight in 2028 and beyond. In doing so, his outfit will make recommendations regarding force structure changes or capabilities that could be endorsed by the Army. “End to end, we're developing a desired capability that our chief and that our secretary of defense need in order to fight and win against a near peer adversary,” he said. DAMO-SO will participate in upcoming exercises and advise on combat training center rotations to ensure units are defending against these non-kinetic tools that can cripple communications. One exercise includes the forthcoming Project Convergence, a data sharing test and experiment to take place in the fall. “It's really bringing long range precision fires, weapon systems and some of our modernization efforts together under the rubric of a data enabled cloud orchestrated system to be able to do the experimentation necessary,” he said. Ultimately, Klein said he hopes the office will provide a great benefit. “As that lead integrator, we can bring multiple perspectives from multiple different vantage points all the way form strategic down to the tactical to make sure that 0 as we're developing these capabilities, as we're exercising and as we're coming up with new things of use in the existing systems - we get back best practices,” he said. https://www.c4isrnet.com/smr/information-warfare/2020/07/21/the-armys-new-directorate-eyes-multidomain-integration/

All news