Israeli weapon systems on “Flying Cannon” ?

The planned gunship variant of the C-27J will undertake the first test firings of its 30mm cannon while slaved to an electro-optical/infrared sensor at the end of this year or early 2014.

MC-27J is a new multi mission transport aircraft jointly produced and marketed by Alenia Aermacchi and ATK. It is a roll on/roll off (RO/RO) aircraft based on the C-27J Spartan.

i-HLS Israel Homeland Security

The MC-27J is designed to support air forces and Special Forces involved in the tactical transport, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, anti-terrorism operations, the evacuation of military and civilians from crisis zones and the fight against asymmetric threats.

MC-27J is based on the combat proven airframe of the C-27J. The base platform is slightly modified, while the airlift capabilities of C-27J are retained. The new aircraft is incorporated with pallet-based systems for additional mission-specific capabilities.

The aircraft has a length of 22.7m, wing span of 28.7m and a height of 9.6m. The maximum take-off weight of the MC-27J is 30,500kg.

ATK and Elbit Systems Ltd. had recently received a contract award through the Defense Acquisition Challenge (DAC) Program to provide a low-cost, light-weight, precision guided missile for the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) evaluation

This missile incorporates lock-on before and after launch and employs a penetrating warhead with sufficient kinetic Energy to defeat hardened targets. The project directly supports a USSOCOM requirement that the companies are ready to meet with their Guided Advanced Tactical Rocket (GATR) and Precision Guided Rocket Launcher.

 

The Israeli sources point to a possibility that the cooperation between Elbit systems and ATK may .result in adding Israel made weapons systems on the MC-27J

US Ospreys and Air Tankers Put Iran in Israel's Reach

The United States plans to give Israel weapons that would enable it to send ground forces against Iranian nuclear facilities that it can’t penetrate from the air.

The deal includes air-refueling aircraft, advanced radars for F-15 fighter jets, and up to eight V-22 Ospreys, an aircraft that can land like a helicopter and carry two dozen special operations forces with their gear over long distances at aircraft speeds.

The Osprey “is the ideal platform for sending Israeli special forces into Iran,” says Kenneth Pollack, a former CIA analyst now at the Brookings Institution’s Saban Center for Middle East Policy.

The aircraft could help solve Israel’s inability to breach Iran’s uranium enrichment facility buried under a granite mountain at Fordow. It might be impregnable to even the heaviest conventional bunker-busting munitions in the U.S. arsenal, Pollack said. Israeli military planners have been brainstorming how to conduct an effective operation, Pollack said, citing conversations with senior Israeli military officers.

“One of the possibilities is (Israel) would use special forces to assault the Fordow facility and blow it up,” Pollack said.

The weapons deal would be part of a military aid package for Israel that includes $1 billion for up to eight V-22 tilt-rotors; $500 million to retrofit radars into F-15 fighters and another $1 billion for a variety of air-to-ground weapons. Additional details about the U.S.-financed deal were revealed during a visit to Washington by Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon on June 15.

The State Department said discussions of the arms deal are ongoing.

Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday had a working dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and will visit with Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian officials through Saturday, discussing broad regional issues and the peace process.

Jonathan Schanzer, executive director of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said the arms package was part of an Israeli wish list including some items that were not discussed publicly to help it keep amilitary edge over other nations in the region and for possible operations against Iran.

Israel’s air force would be hard-pressed to cause lasting damage to the Iranian nuclear program because it cannot sustain long-term bombardment and has limited bunker-busting capabilities and limited air-refueling capabilities, said Kenneth Katzman, who co-wrote the 2012 report “Israel: Possible military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities” for the Congressional Research Service.

When he first announced the deal during a visit to Israel in April, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the Ospreys would provide Israel with high-speed maritime search-and rescue-capabilities.

Yaalon said the arms sale would send a message to Israel’s chief adversary in the region.

“Without a credible military option, there’s no chance the Iranian regime will realize it has to stop the militarynuclear project,” Yaalon said.

Other parts of the arms package include Boeing’s KC-135 “Stratotanker,” which can refuel Ospreys and other aircraft while airborne and extend the tilt-rotor aircraft’s 426-mile range almost indefinitely. The deal also includes anti-radiation missiles that are used to target air defense systems, and advanced radars for Israel’s fleet of F-15 fighter jets, according to a Defense Department press release.

That equipment would increase Israel’s capabilities against Iran, said Ely Karmon, a senior research scholar at the Institute for Counter-Terrorism at The Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel.

The refueling equipment would extend the reach of Israeli special forces, which could be used against Iran as they were in Israel’s attack on a Syrian nuclear facility under construction in 2007, Karmon said.

In the 2007 attack, at least one Israeli team was on the ground to provide laser targeting of sophisticated airmunitions, Karmon said. “The same would be done for Iranian sites.”

The Osprey also could be used for search-and-rescue operations if Israeli aircraft involved in a complex airoperation are shot down and pilots endangered, Karmon said.

Michael Rubin, an analyst for the American Enterprise Institute, said senior U.S. and Israeli bombers would do significant damage to Iran’s hardened sites by targeting the entrances, and Israel could use the Ospreys for missions other than Iran’s nuclear sites. Israel may want the ability to send troops to secure chemical facilities in remote regions of Syria or to block Iranian shipments bound for terrorists in the Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula or Lebanon, Rubin said.

“Sudan and Eritrea are floating the idea of building an Iranian naval base or shipping Iranian missiles to the Gaza Strip,” Rubin said, referring to the Palestinian territory controlled by the terrorist group Hamas. “If you wanted to disrupt such missiles in a convoy, you’d do it with an Osprey.”

The arms deal also sends a message to Iran and reassurance to Israel that the United States is serious about standing by the Jewish state, Karmon said.

Katzman said he doesn’t think the arms sale provides Israel with significant new capabilities that Israel did not already have. He said the overall defense package, which also includes advanced F-16 fighter jets for the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, Iran’s chief rivals in the Persian Gulf, is more “a symbolic move to show (American) resolve to Iran,” Katzman said.

Israel Receives First C-130J Super Hercules: ‘Shimshon

Lockheed Martin delivered the State of Israel’s first C-130J Super Hercules airlifter during a ceremony today at its Aeronautics Company’s production facility here. This is first of three C-130Js currently on order for the Israeli Air Force (IAF), which has operated legacy C-130s since 1971.

The IAF has bestowed the nickname “Shimshon” on its C-130Js. Shimshon is Hebrew for Samson, who was a judge and leader for the people of Israel. Samson’s mother called him Shimshon, which is derived from the Hebrew word for sun, because she felt he was destined to be as bright and mighty as the sun and would deliver the Jewish people from their enemies.

“Israel’s new C-130J builds on the tradition of its predecessors and offers the IAF unique capabilities that are not only proven, but without equal,” said George Shultz, vice president and general manager, C-130 programs at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. “With its glass cockpit and modern digital avionics, the C-130J has proven it performs in all environments: hot, cold, dirt and sand. Shimshon will serve the IAF as the C-130 always has — anywhere, anytime.”

Israel ordered its C-130Js through a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) contract with the U.S. Government. Upon delivery, this aircraft will move into a modification program and receive Israeli-unique systems. An in-country delivery for this C-130J is scheduled for spring 2014.

While Israel is the newest member of the C-130J worldwide operator family, this Super Hercules has the distinction of being one of 290 C-130Js that contributed to the worldwide fleet’s first
1 million flight hours. Shimshon’s test flight hours were included in this tally, which spans the C-130J’s first flight on April 5, 1996 through April 30, 2013.

Fifteen countries have chosen the C-130J Super Hercules to meet their air mobility needs. The C-130J is the standard by which all other airlift is measured in terms of availability, flexibility and reliability. C-130Js currently are deployed in two combat theaters where they operate at a very high tempo efficiently and reliably.

In non-combat — but equally harsh environments — C-130Js are often the first to support humanitarian missions such as search and rescue, aerial firefighting in the U.S., and delivering relief supplies after earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons and tsunamis around the world.

Israel Will Be First International Customer To Fly F-35s

Though late to sign on to the network of nations purchasing the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Israel will be the first international customer to operate the fifth-generation fighter.

“Israel will become the first non-U.S. operator of the F-35 in the world,” said Steve O’Bryan, Lockheed Martin’s vice president for F-35 program integration and business development in an interview at the Paris air show. The first F-35I combat squadron is expected to achieve initial operational capability in 2018. 

Eight other countries have already committed to the program with firm contracts.

“The F-35 fighters going into service with these users will use different initial versions that will be upgraded later into the latest version, as it becomes available,” O’Bryan said. That mean F-35s will be tailored to individual nations, he says. 

“Specific capabilities developed for certain users will remain exclusive, and open to other users only with the original user’s consent. For example, the software blocks pertaining to the Norwegian anti-ship missile will not be available to other F-35 operators except Norway, unless it decides to sell those missiles to one of the F-35 users. The same goes to the Rafael Spice 1000. Similarly, the advanced electronic warfare, data links and specific software modes developed for the Israeli air force will remain unique to Israel and not delivered to any other user. These capabilities will also be fully integrated with the aircraft capabilities, adhering to the stealth characteristics of the aircraft, particularly, at specific apertures cleared for the Israeli systems integration in the lower fuselage and leading edge,” he said.

The first Israeli pilots plan to arrive at Eglin AFB, Fla., for training on the F-35A in early 2016. The first aircraft is tentatively set to be delivered to the Israel air force toward the end of that year, and arrive in Israel in 2017. 

These F-35Is will be produced under Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) lots 8, 9 and 10. By that time, all 19 aircraft included under the $2.75 billion order will be delivered to the IAF under the current five-year plan. A follow-on order for more F-35Is is expected in 2018, under the next five-year plan. As the new fighter enters full-production rate, volumes are expected to increase, leading to proportionally lowering cost, expected to drop below $85 million in then-year dollars.

Financing of this follow-on procurement is already under discussion with the U.S. Jerusalem is seeking creative ways for Washington’s agreement to guarantee payment for these planes, including the foreign military sales budget allocated annually to Israel. If this concept is approved, Israel will be required to pay for the interest but will be able to commit willingly to follow-on orders and receive the second squadron immediately after the first is delivered.

 

“With the F-35 Israel is expected to receive the AIM-9X short-range air/air missile (AAM) and the Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM Beyond Visual Range (BVR) AAM,” O’Bryan added. The F-35 currently carries the Raytheon AIM-9X Block at the outboard under-wing stations, in non-stealth configuration, as the current Block I missiles cannot be carried internally. This shortcoming will be corrected in Block II, which is to follow soon. 

Nevertheless, the optimal weapon carriage for the F-35 comprises exclusively the AMRAAM missiles, enabling the fighter to maximize its “see-first, shoot-first, kill-first” strategy. The next generation BVR-AAM will offer both active and passive guidance techniques, offering effective intercept ranges in excess of 100 km. This makes part of the argument not to include the Rafael Python V missile in the aircraft configuration; the next generation Python VI will be designed to fit the new fighter. Yet, according to IAF sources, a decision whether to use a derivative of the Stunner or a brand-new AAM has yet to be made.

F-35s are prepared to fight air combat as a “networked formation,” sharing all information between all members at all time. The data link used for this process, called MADL, will also be available to all F-35 operators. In addition, Harris Multi-Function Advanced Data-Link (MADL) terminals could be installed on certain support elements, to extend information sharing and update the data available to the stealthy F-35 formation. In addition, the F-35 is now offering Link-16 connectivity and would obviously include a satellite link as well, providing secure, low-probability-of-detection communications on extended range missions.

In August 2012 Lockheed Martin received a $206 million award from the U.S. Navy Naval Air Systems Command, covering the development and integration of Israeli systems in the F-35A. Part of a larger package, the integration support agreement with Lockheed Martin covers a $450 million program to enhance Electronic Warfare (EW) equipment on the F-35, and integrate Israeli-unique systems beginning in 2016.

“The advantage of this F-35 for the Israel air force is not about higher performance or a specific weapon capacity, but the ability to understand the battlespace, identify, locate targets from standoff range and neutralize them before being engaged,” Brig. Gen. Hagi Topolanski, Chief of Air Staff and Deputy Israeli Air Force Commander, told Aviation Week in a recent interview. 

“These capabilities are meaningful in dealing with modern fighter aircraft and advanced SAMs. While the F-35 has its limitations, it can take on and win against any threat currently available in-theater. Its ability to independently collect, assess and process a battlespace situational picture, and strike those targets by itself, from standoff range, is providing a qualitative edge over anything the enemy can confront with, in the foreseeable future.”

Israel insisted upon a number of requirements throughout the procurement negotiations on the F-35I. Those included the adaptation of the baseline F-35A including all its systems, to the Israeli air force’s operational environment, which will require some necessary additions.

“Our F-35I will be equipped with our specific networks, armament and electronic warfare, among them the Spice autonomous EO guided weapon. It will also carry the AIM-9X2 air-to-air missile, which will become the first platform in the IAF to employ this advanced air-to-air missile. We also plan to continue and pursue the development of future air-to-air missiles; we are still evaluating the cost/performance trade-off between a common air-to-air and air-to-ground missile and a dedicated AAM design,” Topolanski explained. “Assuming the F-35 will offer the capabilities it is planned to deliver, it will bring a new dimension to air battles as we know today.” 

One of the advantages of the F-35 is the aircraft’s ability to fly long-range missions with internal weapons, accelerate faster and maintain higher speed, compared to current F16s or F-15s or any of the opposing force combat aircraft (flying with internal fuel). 

To further extend the F-35’s range, Lockheed Martin is exploring an innovative concept from Israel, of using unique drop tanks, developed by Elbit Systems Cyclone. Designed in a similar concept to the F-22 under-wing drop tanks, these tanks, each containing 425 gal. of fuel, will use special attachment pylons that would completely separate from the wing, regaining full stealth capability after separation. An additional 900 gal. of fuel will significantly extend the F-35I range, enabling the IAF to operate its new stealth fighter at the “outer ring” of operation without mandatory aerial refueling.

Iran - Helpless Against Israeli Air Power

The war of words (and occasional violence) between the Sunni Arabs of Arabia and the Shia Iranians does have one beneficial angle. Each side accurately accuses the other of various political crimes and gets these ugly facts out into the open. Many of the accusations are not made up but are simply accurate accounts of what is going on. Thus Iran broadcasts details of how the Sunni states on the Arab side of the Gulf discriminate and generally abuse their Shia citizens. The Arab media, using equally excellent sources inside Iran, detail how the religious dictatorship in Iran abuses its own people. For people on both sides of the Gulf these media battles are quite informative. Western diplomats and intelligence services also find this rather large flow of accusations to be most informative.

 

The war between Shia and Sunni has been going on for over a thousand years and is normally a low key affair, marked by obscure theological arguments and lots more social bigotry against the “others.” Since Shia have always been the minority, they get the worst of it. The Shia are also more vulnerable because of their custom of revering many of their notable historical figures with shrines. Sunni call this blasphemous idolatry and often attack or destroy the shrines and frequently hide or destroy the corpses of these ancient Shia leaders. While senior clerics from all sides oppose the desecration of graves, Sunni holy warriors, and many lower ranking clerics, are not restrained. Recent Sunni terrorist attacks on Shia shrines in Iraq and Syria has made it more difficult for Iran to aid al Qaeda (which is basically a Sunni religious fanatic organization) against their common enemies (the U.S., the West, current governments in Arabia). Al Qaeda leaders sometimes try to restrain their followers when it comes to Shia shrines, but that message does not have much impact at ground level. This is bad for both Iran and its Sunni neighbors because the street level anger and hatred will persist long after the leadership agrees to halt the warmongering. 

 

The U.S. has organized an international mine clearing force in the Persian Gulf with ships and personnel from 41 nations and is conducting mine clearing exercises in the Persian Gulf for the rest of the month. Naval mines are the most effective weapon Iran possesses if it decides to attack shipping in the Persian Gulf.  

 

Iranian support for Syria in its fight against Sunni rebels is becoming more obvious. The government is now openly calling for volunteers to go fight in Syria. So far members of the Quds Force and others from the armed forces have been ordered to Syria to act as trainers and advisors. This is considered a survivable assignment, but Iranian troops fighting alongside Syrian ones is rather more dangerous and volunteers are being sought. Efforts to get Iraqi Shia to fight in Syria has not been very successful, in part because that same Syrian government (led by the Shia minority in Syria) supported the Sunni terrorists based in Syria after 2003 and helped them get into Iraq to kill over 50,000 Shia. This is less of an issue in Iran where disdain for Arabs extends to dead Shia Arabs as well. But many Iranians see this support of the Syrian dictatorship as something they are being forced to pay for, with obvious hits to the standard of living for the average Iranian. For the average Sunni Iraqi Arab, fighting against the Shia government of Iran is a rather more attractive proposal and over a thousand Iraqi Sunnis have gone to Syria, while less than a hundred Iraqi Shia have done so. 

 

Iran has been particularly helpful in equipping and training the pro-government Syrian militias. The Iranian Quds Force has long experience in this sort of thing, having organized Hezbollah in Lebanon 30 years ago. Quds is increasingly busy in Syria and now the Iranian Army has been told to assist with training, or retraining, Syrian soldiers. The Iranians are believed to be behind the Syrian adoption of savage new tactics in the fighting around Damascus. These new methods involve mass killings of civilians, especially military age men, during daytime raids into pro-rebel villages.

Late last year the Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander openly bragged that members of the Quds Force were operating in Syria. Quds has long been Iran's international terrorism support organization. The Quds Force supplies weapons to the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban as well as Islamic radicals in Somalia, Iraq and elsewhere. Quds has been advising Syrian forces on how to deal with the rebels, and occasionally helping with raids and interrogations. Iran is also bringing in some badly needed special weapons and equipment. Most of this is coming in by air via Iraq. Syrian rebels are getting more and more proof of Iranian aid out to the world. Now the rebels are facing “special troops” trained and advised by the Iranians.

 

Iran is also very concerned about its protégé Hezbollah in Lebanon. This Shia militia is increasingly unpopular in Lebanon and its support of the Shia Assad government in Syria is not popular in Lebanon either. Lebanon has been the victim of Assad plots, assassination and general bad behavior for decades. Hezbollah tries to ignore this, but most Lebanese don’t. 

 

Iranian efforts to reinforce Hezbollah are being hampered by Israeli air strikes. The first one was in January but there have been two more in the last week with Israel hinting that there are more to come. 

Iran has long shipped weapons to Hezbollah via Syria, and with that route in danger of being cut, more missiles and other military equipment are being trucked to from Syria to Lebanon. Israel is determined to halt the movement of these long range missiles and Russian anti-aircraft systems to Lebanon. Israel has increasingly been working, usually quietly and unofficially, with Sunni Arab states to oppose Iranian sponsored terrorism and the Iranian nuclear weapons program. It appears that some of that cooperation is at work in Syria, where the principal financial and weapons suppliers for the rebels are Jordan and Arab Gulf states, some of them long-time silent partners with Israel in counter-terrorism matters. So far the only air support the Syrian rebels have received has come from Israel, not NATO. This annoys Iran a great deal because, as a practical matter, there is nothing Iran can do about it.

Hezbollah has responded by sending more armed men into Syria and threatening to openly declare war on the rebels if rebel interference with Hezbollah convoys does not cease. Hezbollah is less eager to threaten Israel with retaliation, because the majority of Lebanese would like to see Hezbollah taken down a notch or two. Attacking Israel and getting beat up by the Israeli response would do that. Israel has been openly preparing that response for the last seven years. 

 

Faced with growing popular discontent over poverty, shortages (because of the new international oil sales sanctions) and police state behavior, Iranian clerics are seeking scapegoats. Blaming Israel and the United States does not work anymore so new culprits are being sought. Some clerics are blaming these problems on Israelis using magic to force most nations on the planet to back the new sanctions. Another cleric blamed recent earthquakes (and other natural disasters) on Iranian women who wear short skirts, revealing tops and other immodest clothing. 

 

Government officials are claiming that new economic policies are neutralizing the impact of the new economic sanctions imposed a year ago. While Iran has adapted, that has not eliminated the pain from having their oil export income cut 27 percent last year and headed for a steeper fall this year. Other sanctions have made many import items difficult to get at any price. Iran says it will manufacture more goods locally, which will mean more expensive and shoddier replacements for the imports. The government tries to hide the fact that unemployment and inflation are going up while family income is declining. The government has not budged on its refusal to halt its nuclear weapons program. So the West is increasing sanction enforcement efforts. No one is willing to go to war with Iran over the matter, so it’s got to be more non-military pressure or surrender.  

 

May 6, 2013: In Kenya a court sentenced two Iranians to life in prison for plotting to carry out terror attacks in Kenya. The two were arrested last year in Kenya and were caught with 15 kg (33 pounds) of explosives and other bomb making materials. The two were apparently under orders to attack American or Israeli targets in Kenya. Such Iranian sponsored terrorism has caused considerable death and destruction in Kenya in the past. 

 

May 4, 2013: After months of negotiations India has agreed to spend $100 million to upgrade the Iranian port of Chabahar and Iran would allow Indian ships to move cargo in and out of Afghanistan via Iranian roads, railroads, and the port of Chabahar. The Pakistani port of Gwadar is 72 kilometers east of Chabahar but Indian relations with Pakistan are too unreliable to allow use of Gwadar (which is now controlled by Chinese firms). During 2004-9 India spent over $70 million to build a 218 kilometer highway from Kandahar (the major city in southwest Afghanistan) to the Iranian border. 

That connects to Iranian roads and railroads that go the thousand kilometers to Chabahar. This gives Afghanistan easy access to the ocean without going through Pakistan (and its bandits, corrupt officials, and unreliable politics). Afghanistan likes having close relations with Pakistan because both India and Afghanistan have had problems with Pakistani hostility and support of Islamic terrorists.

Israeli military shoots down suspected Hezbollah drone

Israel shot down a drone Thursday as it approached the country's northern coast, the military said. Suspicion immediately fell on the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. 

The incident was likely to raise already heightened tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, a bitter enemy that battled Israel to a stalemate during a monthlong war in 2006.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in northern Israel at the time of the incident, said he viewed the infiltration attempt with "utmost gravity."

"We will continue to do everything necessary in order to protect the security of the citizens of Israel," he said.

Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a military spokesman, said the unmanned aircraft was detected as it was flying over Lebanon and tracked as it approached Israeli airspace.

Lerner said the military waited for the aircraft to enter Israeli airspace, confirmed it was "enemy," and an F-16 warplane shot it down.

The drone was flying at an altitude of about 6,000 feet and was downed roughly five miles off the Israeli coast near the northern city of Haifa. Lerner said Israeli naval forces were searching for the remains of the aircraft.

He declined to say who sent the drone. But other military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to talk to the media, said they believed it was an Iranian-manufactured aircraft sent by Hezbollah. Hezbollah sent a drone into Israeli airspace last October that Israel also shot down.

Netanyahu was informed of the unfolding incident as he was flying north for a cultural event with members of the country's Druse minority. Officials said his helicopter briefly landed while the drone was intercepted before Netanyahu continued on his way.

Netanyahu repeatedly has warned that Hezbollah might try to take advantage of the instability in neighboring Syria, a key Hezbollah ally, to obtain what he calls game-changing weapons.

Israel has all but confirmed that it carried out an airstrike in Syria early this year that destroyed a shipment of sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles bound for Hezbollah.

A senior Lebanese security official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said Lebanon had no information on Thursday's incident.

Hezbollah spokesman Ibrahim Moussawi also said he had no information, adding the group would put out a statement if it had something to say on the issue.

When Israeli military shot down a Hezbollah drone on Oct. 6, it took days for Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah to confirm it in a speech. He warned at the time that it would not be the last such operation by the group. He said the sophisticated aircraft was made in Iran and assembled by Hezbollah.

Israel Planning for Drone-only Air Force

Israel's air force is on track to developing drones that within four to five decades would carry out nearly every battlefield operation executed today by piloted aircraft, a high-ranking Israeli officer told The Associated Press Sunday.

The officer, who works in the field of unmanned aerial vehicle intelligence, said Israel is speeding up research and development of such unmanned technologies for air, ground and naval forces.

"There is a process happening now of transferring tasks from manned to unmanned vehicles," the officer said, speaking anonymously because of the classified nature of his work. "This trend will continue to become stronger."

Isaac Ben-Israel, a former Israeli air force general, said however there was no way drones could entirely overtake manned airplanes. He said there are just some things drones can't do, like carry heavy payloads needed for major assaults on targets like underground bunkers.

"The direction is drones playing a bigger and bigger role in the air force," he said. "In a decade or two they should be able to carry out a third or half of all missions. But there are still certain things you cannot do without a piloted plane."

Israel is a pioneer in drone technology. Its military was the first to make widespread use of drones in its 1982 invasion of Lebanon and Israeli companies are considered world leaders and export unmanned aircraft to a number of armies, including U.S.-led forces that have used them in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The unmanned aircraft have been a major part of Israel's arsenal in battling Gaza rocket launchers over the years. Drones were seen as crucial by giving soldiers eyes in the air, keeping watch over rooftops and alleyways in congested urban areas and notifying troops of threats or obstacles in their path. Israel insists its drones only perform surveillance missions but Palestinian witnesses have long claimed that Israeli drones fire missiles in Gaza.

The officer claimed Israel is second only to the United States in the range of unmanned aerial systems its produces. He said he was "aware" that American drones are capable of firing missiles, but refused to say whether Israeli drones could do the same.

The officer cited one technology recently unveiled: the unmanned Hermes 900 aircraft, developed by the Israeli military manufacturer Elbit Systems Ltd. and recently rolled out for Israeli military use.

It features double the performance capabilities of the previous generation of the same unmanned aircraft, the Hermes 450. It can carry up to 350 kilograms, features advanced systems of surveillance and reconnaissance and offers support to forces on the ground and at sea, according to a description of the technology on Elbit's website.

Israel is also looking to develop small tactical satellites that warplanes could launch into the earth's orbit, the officer said.

Unlike satellites in permanent orbit which are more easily monitored by other leading armies in the world, the tactical satellites Israel hopes to develop would be cheaper to build and less susceptible to interception because they would be launched during wartime and there would be less time for foreign armies to track their orbit, Israeli military officials said.

 © Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Israeli firms to support, but not assemble nation's M-346 trainers

The Alenia Aermacchi M-346 trainer selected by the Israeli air force will not be assembled in Israel, following an Italian commitment to place offset contracts worth approximately $1 billion.

Confirmation of the production strategy came as the Israeli defence ministry reached a $603 million agreement with Elbit Systems/Israel Aerospace Industries joint venture TOR Systems for the maintenance of its future 30-strong M-346 fleet.

Israel formally selected the M-346 earlier this year, following a competition between the type and the Korea Aerospace Industries/Lockheed Martin T-50. Its announcement was accompanied by an Italian contract for two IAI-supplied Gulfstream G550-based conformal airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, plus ground support systems and a logistics support package, totalling a combined $750 million.

Under an additional agreement with Telespazio, IAI will develop, manufacture and supply an observation satellite worth $182 million.

While IAI will benefit mainly by supplying the AEW&C aircraft and satellite to Italy, Elbit will establish an enhanced logistics support and maintenance infrastructure for the M-346 in Israel, along with ground training equipment. It will also supply some avionics systems for the type.

U.S., Lockheed Martin reach deal on Israeli F-35 fighter jets

The deal, to be finalized in coming weeks, marks a big step forward for Israel's $2.75 billion agreement to buy 19 F-35 jets, which was signed in October 2010 and includes options for up to 75 of the radar-evading fighters.

The Pentagon has reached an agreement with Lockheed Martin Corp on a $450 million program to enhance electronic warfare equipment on the F-35 fighter jet, and integrate Israeli-unique systems beginning in 2016, sources, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

The deal, to be finalized in coming weeks, marks a big step forward for Israel's $2.75 billion agreement to buy 19 F-35 jets, which was signed in October 2010 and includes options for up to 75 of the radar-evading fighters.

The Pentagon said the Israeli foreign arms sale could be worth up to $15.2 billion if all options are exercised, when it first approved the sale in September 2008.

"This agreement kicks off the Israeli program," said one of the sources, who was not authorized to speak on the record. "Now all of the agreements are in place."

The F-35 will allow for even greater collaboration in the coming years with Israel, a critical strategic ally for the United States at a time when much of the Middle East is in turmoil.

The deal comes as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta prepares to visit Israel next week where he will discuss heightened tensions with Iran, which on Thursday underscored its support for Syria despite its brutal crackdown on a 16-month uprising.

It also provides a vote of confidence in the embattled F-35 program, whose cost and technology challenges have overshadowed a year of progress in flight testing.

The deal will allow increased participation in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program by Israeli companies, including Elbit Systems Ltd and state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, which will start building wings for the radar-evading warplane.

IAI already builds wings for the F-16 fighter jet, the world's most widely used fighter, also built by Lockheed. Elbit, in a joint venture with Rockwell Collins, makes the advanced helmet used by pilots on the single-seat F-35.

Agreement on development of the new Israeli version of the F-35 will allow Israel to install its own radio and datalink systems, as well as other equipment, on the jets it is buying.

But the deal also covers enhancements to the airplane's electronic warfare capabilities that will benefit the United States, Israel and the other nine countries that either have already ordered fighter planes, or plan to in coming years

The radar-evading, multirole F-35 is the Pentagon's costliest arms purchase, expected to top $396 billion for 2,443 aircraft in three models through the mid-2030s.

Lockheed and its subcontractors are building the stealthy warplane for the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps along with Britain and seven other co-development partners -- Italy, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands

In addition to Israel, Japan also has a signed agreement to buy the F-35, which was designed to replace a range of fighter, strike and ground-attack aircraft, including the F-16.

The Defense Department this year postponed production of 179 F-35s until after 2017, stretching development and testing in an effort to curb costly retrofits and save money. The latest restructuring, the third such major revamp, added 33 months and $7.9 billion to the development plan.

Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon's No. 1 supplier by sales, is developing the F-35 with Northrop Grumman Corp and Britain's BAE Systems PLC. Britain initially invested $2 billion in the F-35's development, the most of any of the eight partner nations.

Work on the electronic warfare enhancements will be done largely by BAE Systems, the sources said.