Israel Suspects China in Failed Cyberattack Vs. Defense Industry

Israeli authorities suspect Chinese involvement in a failed cyberattack targeting 140 top defense industry executives and program officials, according to Israel’s Channel 2 News.

The attempted attack took place several weeks ago in the form of an email sent to scores of industry executives and program officials from an unnamed German company “known to Israeli industry,” said Nir Dvori, the network’s senior defense reporter.

In his Oct. 27 report, Dvori said, “defensive measures” managed to detect and “close down” the threat before recipients had an opportunity to open the mail and release a Trojan horse embedded within the seemingly innocent correspondence.

“Defensive measures discovered the attack and thwarted it. The assessment here is that the attack came from the Chinese defense industry,” Channel 2 reported.

Myriam Nahon, an MoD spokeswoman, said the ministry does not comment on media reports involving cyber matters.

In interviews here, several defense industry executives confirmed that firms were conducting refresher training on protocols and procedures associated with information and network defense. None of the executives contacted agreed to elaborate on the incident or to identify the German firm that served as an unwitting delivery vehicle for the attempted cyberattack.

Retired Maj. Gen. Isaac Ben-Israel, chairman of the research council that led to the 2011 establishment of Israel’s National Cyber Bureau, also declined comment on the specific event reported by Channel 2.

Nevertheless, in an Oct. 28 interview, Ben-Israel said authorities here were unlikely to make public accusations or to elaborate on methodologies employed by suspected cyber offenders.

“Thousands of cyberattacks are directed at us every day; some of them more sophisticated and some of them less so. The problem is that as good as we are at detecting and thwarting such attacks and as credible as we are in forensic investigations after the fact, there always remains the problem of attribution.”

According to Ben-Israel, a former director of Israeli defense research and development, “cyber offenders unfortunately do not leave their signature in Mandarin Chinese, Russian or any other language. ... We can suspect, but we can only suspect; and redouble defensive measures for the attack.”

Top Ten Special Operations Forces in the World

Countries throughout the world train special operation forces within their military, so coming up with a list of top special operations forces in the world is difficult at best.  All special ops forces train their military men to be the best of the best, to take the impossible task and make it possible.  In that respect, all Special Operations units are top.  While the list below may not be everyone’s top ten, some of those listed would certainly be a part of any top ten lists.

10.  Russian Spetsnaz – What sets the Russian Spetsnaz apart from other specially trained special ops units around the world is their daily

exposure to physical punishment.  The purpose for this portion of their training is to teach them to endure physical pain and to work the mind to “enjoy” it since it is impossible to ignore it.  They are permitted to leave the training anytime they desire.  Their missions generally involve reconnaissance and close quarter combat.   Many of the bodyguards chosen for the high-tanking political figures of Russia are chosen from the Spetsnaz.

9.  Pakistan Special Service Group – This Pakistan Special Service Group (SSG) is also known as “Black Storks” a name derived from their unique headgear the “Maroon Beret”.  The SSG has ten specific missions for which they are trained:

• Asymmetric Warfare
  
• Special Operations
• Counter-Proliferation
• Unconventional Warfare
• Foreign Internal Defense
• Special Reconnaissance
• Direct Action
• Hostage Rescue
• Counter-Terrorist
• Personnel Recovery

This elite group from Pakistan is somewhat similar to the US Army’s Green Berets and the British Army’s SAS.  They often conduct exercise missions with Special Forces from other countries such as China and the UK.

8.  Austria Eko Cobra – This special ops tactical unit is involved mainly in counter-terrorism.  The group retains a low

 profile, despite their high-speed involvement in the war on terror.  In Europe, they are known for their competitive edge over other countries at S.W.A.T. and other competitions throughout Europe.  Though their covert missions are carried without with little or no media, they are still considered by many as one of the best trained counter-terrorist units in the world.

7.  French Army Special Forces Brigade – This French Special Ops group has one of the most rigorous qualification training programs in the world.  This group is subdivided into three specially trained

 areas:

• 1er Régiment de Parachutistes d’Infanterie de Marin which is based in Bayonne.
• 13e Régiment de Dragons Parachutistes based in Martignas-sur-Jalle.
• 4e Régiment d’Hélicoptères des Forces Spéciales, the unit based in Pau.

Israel Air Force Plan Shoots for 10-Fold Boost in Bombs

The Israel Air Force (IAF) is revamping headquarters staff, planning procedures and air operations to support a 10-fold increase in the number of targets it can detect and destroy, the Air Force’s chief of air operations said.

In an exclusive interview with Defense News, Brig. Gen. Amikam Norkin said the institutional revamp — the service’s first since the 1973 Yom Kippur War — aims to shorten the duration of future wars while reducing demand for maneuvering ground forces through massive, persistent and punishing use of precision air power.

More than a year in the making and slated for phased implementation in the coming months, the changes are driven by IAF Commander Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel and his Expanding Attack Capacity (EAC) program.

Officers here say the program affects all aspects of air operations, from the orders received from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) General Staff to the pilot in the cockpit and maintenance crews tasked with turnaround time.

It also involves wholesale changes in mission planning, resource management, bomb damage assessment and the way the IAF coordinates movements with western coalition forces that may be operating in the region.

But perhaps the biggest driver of EAC, experts here say, is significant improvements in so-called sensor-to-shooter capabilities. By mating persistent intelligence collection with precision weapons, the IAF expects to generate an exponential number of new, time-sensitive targets during each day of future fights.

Once implemented, traditional waves of air attack should give way to an express train of precision strikes, allowing “first circle” enemies such as Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Gaza-based Hamas little time to recover from the initial shock and awe of previous campaigns.

“We’re focusing on the entire system across the full distance,” Norkin said. “The RPMs [rotations per minute] of this engine must be much higher to support a huge surge in the quantity of targets we detect and destroy each and every day of a future campaign.”

In an Oct. 21 interview at this IAF hub in northern Israel, Norkin noted that the 1,500 targets attacked in Israel’s November 2012, eight-day Pillar of Defense operation in Gaza doubled the number of targets attacked in the 34-day 2006 Lebanon War.

“In Pillar of Defense, our daily attack capacity was twice that of Lebanon, despite the fact that [Gaza] was a much smaller area and more densely populated,” Norkin said. “Now, when we talk about the northern area of operations, we’re aspiring for an order of magnitude expansion — maybe more — in the number of targets to be destroyed every day.”

Despite IAF sensor-to-shooter capabilities demonstrated by its destruction of 120-some rocket launchers in the last Lebanon war, Norkin said the IDF realizes it can no longer waste time and assets going after individual launchers. “We all understand that rockets will continue to fall here until the last day of war. A residual capacity to launch will remain with the enemy,” he said.

Under the new concept, Israel will focus on “hurting the enemy where it hurts the most,” Norkin said, referring to leadership, commanders and significant war-fighting assets.

“We won’t be able to push the enemy to the point where he can no longer shoot rockets and missiles. Therefore we need to push him to the point where he doesn’t want to shoot his rockets and missiles,” the IAF officer said.

In a memo to all IAF officers this month, Eshel described the EAC revamp as historic, complex and fraught with risk.

“Some have compared it to a marathon race which demands — while running — that we perform open heart surgery and still finish first,” Eshel wrote.

Nevertheless, the IAF commander said he believed his organization would successfully implement the EAC plan and that prescribed changes would be proven through concrete results.

Expediting the Endgame

Israeli officers and defense experts said the IAF revamp is an essential element in IDF strategy for expediting the diplomatic endgame through maximum destruction of enemy assets and minimal harm to uninvolved civilians.

“As soon as war breaks out, the hourglass is overturned,” Lt. Gen. Benjamin Gantz, IDF chief of staff, said of Israel’s race to achieve optimum operational gain while preserving domestic and international support prior to a brokered cease-fire.

Israel Uncovers Tunnel Beneath Border with Gaza

The Israeli military revealed Oct. 13 the discovery of a tunnel below the heavily defended border with Gaza Strip. (IDF)

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL — The Israeli military revealed Oct. 13 its discovery of an extraordinarily sophisticated, nearly two kilometer-long, concrete reinforced tunnel burrowed 15 meters below and extending 300 meters beyond Israel’s heavily defended border with Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

More than a year in the making and equipped with electricity and telephone cables, the tunnel was assailed by officials here as an audacious violation of Israeli sovereignty intended for strategic terror attacks.

“The tunnel was built for purposes of terror acts against our civilians and soldiers,” Maj. Gen. Sami Turgemann, commander of Israel’s SouthernCommand, told reporters here.

Gun Makers Gear Up for $1B Israeli Contest

Israeli, European and US firms are lining up to compete for the program to replace the Israel Defense Forces Artillery Corps's M109 gun. 

TEL AVIV — Israeli and international firms are gearing to compete for a new self-propelled gun for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Artillery Corps, a prospective multiyear modernization program estimated to exceed US $1 billion.

Characterized here as a top ground force investment priority, the gun aims to replace nearly 50-year-old M109 self-propelled howitzers

In an interview, Brig. Gen. Roy Riftin, IDF chief artillery officer, listed the new gun as key to the ground force’s Fire2025, a strategic investment plan for firepower that is lethal, longer in range and more precise, yet flexible enough for effective use across the operational spectrum.

But final approval to initiate the program as part of the IDF’s Teuza (Valor) 2014-’18 plan is pending the outcome of workshops to be conducted this month by the IDF General Staff.

If approved, the competition will likely involve a crew-saving, autonomously loaded 52-caliber cannon and 155mm barrel integrated on a refurbished or new, low-cost chassis. IDF users expect the autonomous, automatically loading gun to fire smart projectiles at a rapid rate, taking advantage of precision guidance kits already developed by local industry, sources here said.

Local companies competing for prime contractor status include privately owned Elbit Systems; and state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Israel Military Industries (IMI).

International companies involved in the anticipated bid include Lockheed Martin’s Dallas-based Missiles and Fire Control unit, and Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall Defence, both based in Munich.

Elbit Systems has been talking with potential partners, but may opt to go it alone based on the production infrastructure of its Elbit USA subsidiary and legacy capabilities of its recently acquired Soltam Systems, Israel’s premier artillery provider.

Elbit completed its acquisition of Yokneam, Israel-based Soltam Systems in 2010, and it has been working with the IDF on options for meeting requirements for the new gun. At the same time, Elbit executives said they continue to work with the IDF to optimize C4I (command, control, communications, computers and intelligence) interoperability of all ground force elements through its ongoing Tzayad Digital Army Program.

Boaz Cohen, vice president for land systems in Elbit’s Land and C4I Division, said the company has developed nearly all of the essential elements for an indigenous Israeli offering. He estimated it would take about two years to integrate, test and qualify a new gun specifically tailored to IDF requirements.

“As the only gun manufacturer in Israel, we have all the essential building blocks in place,” Cohen said. “We have the auto loader, the gun, breech, elevation system, electronics system and, of course, the requisite C4I to meet whatever the IDF ultimately determines as its future gun requirements.”

IMI is expected to team with Rheinmetall on a comparatively lower-cost modular upgrade package aimed at extending the operational service of its vast M109 inventory for another 40 years, defense and industry sources here said. Rheinmetall declined to comment.

First reported by Israeli defense industry analyst Tamir Eshel, editor of the online Defense Update, the IMI proposed upgrade — M10917 Spark — introduces a longer, modern 155mm/52-caliber barrel on a re-engined M109 chassis. Sources here confirmed the IMI proposal will feature the automatic shell-loading capabilities of the PzH2000, developed by KMW and Rheinmetall for the German Army, which reduces current eight-man crews to three or four gunners.

As for IAI, the company is promoting a KMW artillery gun module integrated on a Lockheed Martin-built M270 MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) chassis.

The IAI-proposed option is expected to include IAI-developed precision navigation and other company-developed subsystems, with final assembly performed at Stark Aerospace, the company’s Columbus, Miss.-based subsidiary, or at Lockheed’s Missiles and Fire Control plant in Dallas.

In an interview, retired Brig. Gen. Shmuel Yachin, a former defense research and development director who coordinates land systems programs for IAI, said it was itself positioning for a lead role in meeting future IDF requirements.

“If we can detect the exact location of targets, add smart fuzes that precisely navigate regular [155mm] projectiles and a new generation of longer artillery tubes, the IDF will undergo a real revolution in the fires arena,” Yachin said in the interview.

In contrast to reports this year, industry sources insist IAI does not have a teaming agreement with Lockheed. Sources here said any understandings IAI or IMI may have with KMW or Rheinmetall are subject to technology transfer agreements between the Israeli and German defense ministries.

IAI declined comment on its proposed gun solution or on prospective international partners.

Avi Felder, head of IMI, said the company’s experience in armored vehicles and weaponry, as well as its intimate understanding of IDF concepts, make it a strong candidate for meeting future ground force requirements.

Morri Leland, director of international businessdevelopment at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said the company is exploring relations with Israeli industry to identify the best solution to meet IDF requirements. In parallel, he said it “is working directly with the Israeli government to identify the best solution to meet their future artillery needs.”

In an Oct. 16 statement, Leland cited the company’s proven capabilities in delivering integrated systems solutions to customers worldwide, including launch and delivery platforms, fire control systems and weaponry.

“We believe that adapting the highly successful MLRS M270 launch/delivery platform to incorporate a highly automated gun system is one way to provide a long-range, lethal and flexible solution,” Leland said.

“This choice also has the advantage of being a very cost-effective path, given the synergy that could be gained by supporting a command system that is projected to be in service until at least the year 2050,” he added

.

Infantry soldiers of Israeli army ready to work closely with artillery and tanks for Urban Warfare.

The nature of warfare is changing. According to Gefen Battalion commander Lt. Col. Shai Kefler, infantry will have to be able to work more closely with artillery and tanks in the future, in complex urban combat situations. To prepare for this change, cadets from the Gefen Battalion, future infantry officers, were tested in a tough urban warfare training exercise last week. The exercise took place at the IDF Urban Warfare Training Center.

In the exercise, the cadets experienced a realistic and holistic battle situation with the addition of officers from the Armored Corps, the Artillery Corps, and UAV Skylark operators. “Urban terrain is something we will potentially have to deal with in both the south and in the north,” said the Gefen battalion commander. “The goal of the exercise is to train future platoon commanders to command infantry platoons in such terrain.”

To prepare for the future, practice must begin in the present, said Lt. Col. Shai Kefler. “We’ve already begun putting all the different aspects into training. Every cadet needs to understand all aspects of the Ground Forces,” he said. “These future cadets fulfilled the function of platoon commanders for the entirety of the exercise, including moving towards the target, problems in squad formation, and running through enemy sniper fire.”

During the training, the cadets encountered many of the possible challenges that they would need to deal with when operating in urban terrain, including the presence of a terrorist network entrenched in a civilian area, booby-trapped homes, and kidnappings by enemy forces.

The cadets also had to deal with some of the unique difficulties of urban combat. “Urban combat is slow-moving,” explained Urban Warfare Instructor Lt. Naif Kablan. “The enemy has the advantage of familiarity with the area, and has many options for hiding places.”

One of these challenges is how to deal with a hostile civilian population. “It’s a delicate situation: on the one hand, you know you have to be careful not to harm the civilian population, but on the other, a riot can start in a second,” said Lt. Kablan.

For some of the new Gefen Battalion cadets, this was their first time commanding a platoon during a battalion-wide exercise. “This was a good and an educational experience, from which I believe I have taken a big step forward in becoming a platoon commander,” said Cadet Shai Yafet, who commanded a platoon during the exercise. “We had to manage the fighting, provide cover for each other and maintain constant communication with the other commanders.”

Cadet Yafet added one more challenge unique to being a commander: “We were awake throughout the entire night, and walked seven miles to the target. So one of our bigger challenges was to lead the platoon and make sure the soldiers didn’t get tired.”

ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES WILL SUPPLY THREE NEW SUPER DVORA FAST PATROL BOATS TO THE ISRAEL NAVY

IAI's President & CEO Joseph Weiss: "IAI's commitment to the Israel Navy is amongst the deepest of Israeli and international defense industries"

Israel Aerospace Industries will Supply Three New Super Dvora Fast Patrol Boats to the Israel Navy

IAI's President & CEO Joseph Weiss: "IAI's commitment to the Israel Navy is amongst the deepest of Israeli and international defense industries"

Ben-Gurion International Airport, September 29, 2013 – Israel Aerospace Industries' (IAI) Ramta division has won a contract to supply three Super Dvora Mk 3 fast patrol boats to the Israel Navy.

The Super Dvora Mk 3, an advanced development of the Ramta Division, is a mainstay of the Israel Navy’s ongoing security activities. The boat is used for patrol, and other operations, protection of Israel's coasts and strategic assets at sea and along all of its coasts, prevention of terrorist activities and infiltration, as well as preventing smuggling and all illegal activity in Israel's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and more.

The boats, to be provided to the Israel Navy represent the fourth generation of boats of this type, and were developed in close cooperation between IAI and the Israel Navy using lessons learned operationally. The boats include an advanced propulsion system to allow sharp and quick maneuvering as well as unique speed tailored to various modern threats and are equipped with a variety of combat, detection, defense and attack capabilities. The Super Dvoras incorporate these features in their relatively small dimensions, while maintaining operational flexibility, the crew's safety and survivability of the vessel.

The current contract is a continuation of a previous order of four ships, a strong indication of the Israel Navy’s high degree of satisfaction from the vessel, its operational capabilities and Ramta's advanced design and production capacity. These boats will join over forty boats, which, starting from the Dabur, in the seventies, were supplied to the Israel Navy.

The Super Dvora is considered to be one of the world's most advanced vessels in the fast attack craft category, due to the high speed it is capable of reaching, as well as its advanced detection, navigation, communication capabilities, and precision fire measures. The Super Dvora's operational features allow for naval superiority in the close combat arena. Its high capabilities and reliability were proven in various ongoing operational activities of the Israel Navy as well as with many other navies around the world. 

Currently, the Super Dvora Mk 3 is being evaluated for use in several countries for protection of strategic facilities within their EEZ, and as a countermeasure against any hostile marine activity. IAI's Ramta, with its accumulated experience of some forty years has designed and manufactured over 120 boats to various customers around the world, along with aerial, ground and other systems.

IAI's president & CEO Joseph Weiss said: "IAI's commitment to the Israel Navy is amongst the deepest of Israeli and international defense industries. We feel great pride and a sense of mission by being given the opportunity to contribute to the safety of Israel. Signing this contract strengthens and establishes IAI's position with the world's leading companies in the design and manufacture of vessels for missions which require strong operational capabilities as well as uncompromising reliability."

IAI Ramta division's general manager, Brigadier General (Res.) Nitzan Shaked said: "We act on fully understanding the needs of the arena and our products are uniquely tailored to the user requirements. Ramta has been providing leading products over several decades while maintaining fruitful cooperation with our customers. Our end-to-end solutions are provided with full responsibility for their operational capabilities, reliability, technology and integration."

Super Dvora Mk 3 – Technical Information

• Length –27.4 m (90 ft)

• Beam – 5.7 m (18.6 ft)

• Speed – 45 knots (83 km/h)

• Draught – 1.3 m (4.3 ft)

• Displacement – 70 ton

• Armament – Flexible (according to mission)

• Crew –12 people

• Cruising range –1000 nautical miles at cruising speed

IAI's Ramta division, located in Beer-Sheva, designs, develops manufactures and provides a variety of systems and products to its customers for ground, air and sea missions. Ramta has been providing patrol boats to the Israel navy for forty years. Ramta's products are designed and tailored for all military branches – ground, sea and air.

Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) is the largest aerospace and defense industry in Israel and provides unique system-of-systems solutions for a broad spectrum of needs in space, air, land, sea, and homeland defense, including: unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), radars, mission aircraft, AEW, EW, ELINT/ESM, SIGINT, and COMINT/COMJAM, aerial refueling, Anti-Tactical Ballistic Missiles (ATBM), missiles, smart weapons, satellites and launchers, navigation, upgrading of military aircraft and helicopters, maintenance and conversion of commercial aircraft, and many other core technologies, products, and services.

US-Israeli Team To Demo APS for Canada

Canadian Trial: An Israeli Merkava Mk4 tank equipped with the Trophy active protection system. The system will be tested on a Canadian light armored vehicle this month.

TEL AVIV AND VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA — General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) and its Canadian subsidiary are hosting a mid-October demonstration of what the firm is billing as “the first North American combat vehicle with a fully integrated Active Protection System (APS).”

The live-fire event for Canadian Army officers and defense procurement officials will test a Canadian Army light armored vehicle III equipped with a version of the Israeli-developed Trophy APS against rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), defense and industry sources said.

Deployed in August 2009, Trophy is designed to neutralize all types of chemical energy threats in flight, from rocket-propelled grenades to high-explosive rounds and tandem warhead anti-tank guided missiles.

The demo, planned for this month at a Canadian test range, follows a series of tests concluded last month on the GDLS-integrated vehicle protected by a version of Trophy, a system developed by Israel’s state-owned Rafael and used on Merkava Mk4 main battle tanks, the sources said.

The event will coincide with the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada’s annual conference and precedes the annual exposition of the Association of the US Army scheduled for Oct. 21-23 in Washington.

Rafael executives would not comment on the upcoming test, referring all queries to GDLS. Ken Yamashita, corporate affairs manager for London, Ontario-based GDLS Canada, declined comment on a matter he considered “classified or sensitive.”

In a May 29 press release, Sterling Heights, Mich.-based GDLS announced it was leading an effort to develop “the first North American combat vehicle with a fully integrated Active Protection System.”

At the time, the company did not identify Rafael as its partner but noted that GDLS aimed to “demonstrate APS technology readiness and integration efficiencies, and reduce the time it takes to bring this lifesaving survivability technology to customers.”

Eyeing Future Buys:

Successful tests of the GDLS-integrated vehicle are expected to boost its standing against BAE Systems for the US Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV), a prospective multibillion-dollar program for a future infantry fighting vehicle.

The US Army’s GCV program office released a request for information this month for combined active protection and hostile fire detection capabilities “that could potentially be applied to tactical and combat ground vehicles.”

Company responses, due Nov. 1, are likely to influence formal Army requirements if and when the service is authorized to select one of the two firms to proceed into full-scale GCV development.

In parallel, the Canadian Army is planning its own competition for APS-equipped ground vehicles.

In an Oct. 3 meeting in London, Ontario, Canadian ArmyCol. Andrew Jayne briefed industry representatives on future equipment programs, including plans to buy limited quantities of an APS to protect the service’s “highest value assets,” he said.

Canada’s interest in APS capabilities dates to 2006, when it asked industry for a system that could provide all-around protection of light armored vehicles capable of defeating projectiles launched from a minimum distance of 15 meters to 25 meters, as well as threats launched from greater distances.

At the time, Yigal Ben-Hanan, president of Rafael USA, said the Israeli firm had teamed with GDLS-Canada to offer a Trophy-based system for the Canadian Army.

Revised Canadian military modernization plans have drastically delayed APS procurement, with orders for actively protected vehicles now scheduled for 2023-27, according to a copy of Jayne’s presentation obtained by Defense News.

Integration of Trophy on the GDLS-produced LAV III is co-funded by GDLS and Rafael and is aimed at “trying to help customers understand the benefits and burdens” of a fully integrated APS-defended vehicle, a former government official said.

While the Trophy-equipped platform represents a “reputable solution” to emerging needs for mobility and force protection, the former official said he believed it does not wed GDLS to a particular vehicle or to the Rafael system.

An Israeli defense source noted that Rafael’s Trophy remains the world’s only operationally proven active protection solution, which continues to enjoy full support by Israel’s Ministry of Defense.

The Trophy was first activated during a March 2011 Israeli operation in Gaza, when a Merkava Mk4 tank equipped with the system destroyed an RPG-29 fired from Gaza with no damage to the protected tank or its four-man crew.

It scored another operational intercept in August 2012 against an anti-tank missile fired at an Mk4 tank near a crossing point in central Gaza. Since then, Israeli military sources cite several other events along its northern and southern borders in which the system detected and classified threats.

According to Rafael marketing data, Trophy offers 360-degree protection against multiple launches “while maintaining a pre-defined safety zone for friendly dismounted troops.”

The operational Trophy-HV (for heavy vehicles exceeding 30 tons) and the prototype Trophy-MV (for medium vehicles exceeding 15 tons) use hard-kill countermeasures that “literally beheads the rocket before it has a chance to initiate or make impact,” according to Rafael data.

The firm’s newest, downsized Trophy-LV (for light vehicles less than eight tons) uses what the firm described as “energetic blades” to neutralize RPGs launched at very short range, providing similar 360-degree protection as the larger variants “at a fraction of the weight and cost,” according to Rafael.

A senior Rafael executive said developmental testing of its Trophy-LV integrated on a Humvee is complete and program officials are ready to integrate the system on other platforms according to customer needs.

“We’re applying the vast operational experience of Trophy-HV into increasingly capable, cost-effective versions for medium and light vehicles,” the executive said. “We’re convinced that the need for actively defended vehicles will increase dramatically.”

He added, “When decision-makers are convinced such a solution exists, it will be hard to explain why their forces are coming home in body bags.”

Israeli planes practice long-range missions military:-

Israeli warplanes this week practiced long-range missions including mid-air refueling in what local media said was a signal to arch foe Iran.

The Israeli air force on Thursday posted pictures and video of the exercise on its website, without saying where or when it took place.

Iran claims breakthrough with Israeli-lookalike combat UAVs

Iran's Revolutionary Guards say they're now producing armed unmanned aerial vehicles, such as the Shahed-129, capable of attacking air and ground targets.

If that's correct, it marks a significant technological advance for the Islamic Republic's defense industry -- even if the Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles, or UCAVs, do appear to be rip-offs of Israeli or U.S. systems.

US-Iran Thaw Puts Israeli Attack Options on Ice

Talking to Tehran: US President Barack Obama speaks on the phone from the White House with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani 

TEL AVIV — Israel is reassessing its dwindling options for combating the Iranian nuclear threat as a war-weary White House and other world powers meet in Geneva later this month to probe diplomatic prospects for a deal with Tehran.

Israeli Female Soldiers Ready for Leisure And War

Female Soldiers of Israel Defense Forces's Karakal Combat Unit

Israeli Female Soldiers Ready for Leisure And War

Female Soldiers of The Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

Israeli female soldiers traveling for leisure on the sandy beach with gun in their hands

Israel Female soldiers Leisure on the beach 

Israeli female soldiers are participating in the field exercise

Female Soldiers of The Israel Defe

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL — More than a quarter century after cancellation of the US-Israel Lavi program, a key figure in that traumatic chapter of bilateral relations continues to blame opponents of the mega project for lasting damage to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Israel’s largest aerospace and defense firm.

In commentary published Oct. 1 in the Israeli daily Ha’aretz, three-time former Defense Minister Moshe Arens said the 1987 termination “sentenced IAI” — prime contractor for the defunct, delta-winged fighter — “to remain a medium-sized player” in the global aerospace industry.

Had the Israeli government not heeded US pressure to nix the program, IAI could have “fulfilled its potential of becoming a rival to Boeing, Lockheed, Grumman or General Dynamics,” Arens wrote.

Arens, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington and one-time vice president at IAI, was a principal driver behind the Lavi, a single-engine fighter that became both a symbol of national pride and a source of acrimony between and within the two governments.

It began in 1980 as a low-cost, low-end replacement to Israel’s aging A-4 and Kfir ground attack aircraft, but was redesigned in 1982 to more closely mimic performance of US F-16s sought by the Israel Air Force. After years of rampant cost growth, high-profile lobbying for and against the project; and intense diplomatic strain, the program was killed by a 12-11 vote in the Israeli cabinet.

Washington invested more than $2 billion in a 7-year program that yielded only two prototypes. In its aftermath, Congress appropriated significant increases in annual aid levels, which Israel used to underwrite multiyear purchases of F-16s.

But in his Oct. 1 commentary, Arens assailed as “primitive and archaic” arguments that the Lavi program was too big and would bankrupt a small country like Israel. He disparaged the “technological ignorance” of those espousing the “bizarre theory” that Israel should focus development efforts on systems rather than platforms.

In his piece titled “A tale of two aerospace companies,” Arens compared IAI, Israel’s largest aerospace and defense firm, to Brazil’s Embraer, with nearly twice the annual turnover and five times annual profit. “While IAI has almost abandoned the manned aircraft business, which used to be its core specialty, Embraer has succeeded in penetrating an important segment” of the global market, he noted.

The venerable Israeli public figure — who served earlier in his career as IAI vice president — said the Lavi termination led to the loss of Israel’s “best engineers “who are now working for aerospace companies worldwide.

IAI’s “inevitable decline,” Arens said, is also the result of “years of mediocre leadership” at the corporate and management levels.

Due in large part to the dumping of Lavi, IAI will never rival Lockheed, Boeing and other top-tier firms. “The question IAI management should now be pondering is: Can it catch up with Embraer?”

IAI declined to comment on its former champion’s claims.

Dov Zakheim, a former deputy undersecretary of defense for planning and resources who led Lavi assessment efforts on behalf of then-Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, said he was not surprised by Arens’ residual resentment.

“Obviously he remains emotionally involved, even after all these years. And that’s understandable since, from the start, it was his baby. When it’s your baby, you never get over it,” said Zakheim.

In an Oct. 1 interview, Zakheim said most Israelis now believe the country benefitted enormously from the Lavi’s termination. “Had Israel pursued the Lavi, it wouldn’t have had money to develop the Arrow missile defense system, its satellite industry and submarines which are so critical to its security. It also wouldn’t have been able to afford new versions of the Merkava main battle tank.

“In other words, Israel would have bought an airplane that essentially was not as good as US aircraft, and would have lost all the 21st century capabilities that has made it a state-of-the art presence on the global market,” Zakheim said.