IDF Expedites Construction of Underground Barrier on Gaza Border

The Israeli army has revealed aerial imagery of what it says are civilian buildings built on top of tunnels where hostile Hamas military activity is underway in the northern Gaza Strip. In the face of the tunnel threat, the IDF is accelerating the construction of its subterranean barrier on its border with the Gaza Strip.

In a conversation with reporters on Wednesday, the IDF's GOC Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir, said that the images prove Hamas continues to operate in residential areas with the intent of taking advantage of a civilian environment to protect its forces.

Under US Pressure? Australia Discontinues Heron Lease from IAI

The Australian Defence Magazine (ADM) reports that after seven years of service in the Australian Air Force, the latter has decided not to extend the lease of IAI's Heron UAV.

Since the Australian government has not yet decided whether it wants to buy Israeli (Heron TP) or American (MQ-9 Reaper) UAVs, their decision to discontinue the lease means that the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) now remains with no operational UAVs.

Watch: Egypt Receives Second Submarine from Germany

Egypt has received second Type-209/1400 submarine from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems at a ceremony in the German city of Kiel.

The Type-209/1400 has a range of 11,000 nautical miles and a top speed of 21.5 knots. It is equipped with missiles and torpedoes.

The new submarine, S-42, is the second of four Type-209 craft ordered from Germany. The first craft, S-41, was handed over in Germany in December, officially joining the Egyptian Navy's fleet in April.

 

Russia to Field-Test New Mi-28UB Attack Helicopter in Syria

Russia’s newest helicopter Mi-28UB will be tested in Syria, said Andrei Boginsky, CEO of the Helicopters of Russia Company. TASS reports that the Helicopters of Russia's general designer, Nikolai Pavlenko, said eight new Mi-28UB helicopters would be provided for the Aerospace Force later this year.

Egypt Receives Two More Rafale Fighter Jets from France

France delivered two Rafale multirole fighter jets to Egypt; the fourth batch of a deal signed in 2015. Eleven Rafale jet have been delivered to date, and the Egyptian Air Force expects three more by the end of the year.

North Korea Threatens Strike on Guam

North Korea's military said on Wednesday that it is considering missile strikes on Guam if Washington presses ahead with a preventive war against it, according to Yonhap news.

The threat was made after US President Donald Trump warned Pyongyang that if it continued to threaten the US, it would "face fire and fury like the world has never seen."

IAF Grounds Apache Fleet after Fatal Crash

An Apache attack helicopter crashed near the Ramon Air Force base in southern Israel on Monday with two crewmembers inside. One pilot was killed and the other was seriously injured. The pilots were on their way back to the base after a training flight when a technical malfunction was reported around 9 PM. According to the IDF spokesperson, the helicopter crashed near the landing pad at the base.

How to Survive the "Cybermania"

Two years ago (June 16, 2015), I published an article in Israel Defense magazine, questioning the intended establishment of the cyber arm by the IDF – an arm that should have encompassed all of the aspects of the cyber activity. I estimated that the intended process would not actually materialize as cyber cannot be 'regimentalized,' namely – subordinated to military-hierarchical logic, removed from the fast-paced reality the cyber world dictates.

New Israeli Pepper Spray Gun

The Piko Company of Israel, specializing in self-defense solutions, has recently started marketing its new non-lethal pepper spray gun in Israel and around the world. The gun utilizes the proprietary pepper spray by the Sabre Red Company and serves as a deterrent opposite violent attackers, rioters or challengers by promptly neutralizing the subject, when required, from an effective range of up to three meters, for a period of 20 to 40 minutes.

Israel Offers Ghana Support in UAV Training

The Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Ami Mehl and Defense Attaché to Africa, Col. Aviezer Segal, have stated Israel’s intention to support the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) in training Special Forces in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).