Underground and Remote: These are the Weapon Systems Developed by the IDF
A review of some of the most intriguing systems that might reach the troops soon
Dan Arkin
| 31/12/2023
Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
The IDF’s Technological Brigade for Land has been working closely with the combat units fighting in Gaza to provide them with real-time technological innovations for operations. They have been learning the lessons of October 7 and planning the technological future of the army. Many of the developments result from lessons learned on that fateful day and from improvements made during under fire. The prominent motto is saving the lives of fighters through automation and remote operation.
Techno-digital power
The brigade has been keeping busy with devising diverse solutions, from developing anti-tank ammunition to planning and implementing the IDF's digital network; from a tiny drone to the ability of a military commander to activate the Air Force or Navy in seconds when needed for combat; from a smart shooting hatch in armored fighting vehicles to providing anti-drone protection for tanks.
The team involved is extensive and comprises both regular and reservist soldiers who hold a variety of professionals, a techno-digital force produces solutions for the demands of the army, from the digital to the cannon’s barrel.
The human and professional composition of the brigade is extraordinary: thousands of servicemen and women, 484 engineers, five PhDs, 148 master's degree graduates, 350 bachelor's degree graduates, technicians, engineers, production workers, scientists, and researchers. Few units in the IDF have professional staff at such high levels.
The test base is located in central Israel, close to the sea and in the middle of a nature reserve. At the base, the staff makes sure to preserve both nature and animals – while at the same time, working on tools, devices, systems, and weapons to safeguard the lives of combatants.
During the Swords of Iron War, we have seen the fighters with their helmets and ceramic vests. But neither be distributed before they pass a series of tests in this brigade. Helmets are tested at one of the dozens of testing stations. One hundred fifty types, made in Israel and abroad, were tested until the appropriate helmet was approved.
The team fires thousands of rounds into helmets and ceramic vests. At the beginning of the war, complaints were heard about a shortage of ceramics; it is true that some equipment was substandard and did not fit. We saw an experiment that examined an extreme scenario: detonating a hand grenade next to a helmet to test its penetration and survivability.
Development of armored vehicles
One of the lessons learned from October 7th is that we must develop armored vehicles that can go into combat. If several dozen such vehicles, operated by armed fighters, had been in the right place along the borders of the Gaza Strip, lives might have been saved. They might even have stopped and prevented further infiltration of Hamas terrorists into the surrounding settlements.
The testing grounds can be reached with one of two armored vehicles, the Tigris – manufactured by Israel’s Plasan; and the Flyer, made in the USA.
The Tigris is mainly intended for units in the West Bank. The vehicle has a system for dispersing demonstrations with space for a driver and eight fighters, and it is possible to return fire safely within the vehicle.
The Flyer is a protected 4x4 vehicle made in the USA with a rear engine designed for traveling in bad road conditions. During a test drive, the driver performed road gradient tests up to 30%, extremely steep ascents and descents, and combat terrain travel.
Weapons testing stations test are currently looking at several weapons for penetrating fortified buildings and penetrating walls, as well as other tools currently used by the Israeli forces, some have arrived from the US at the start of the war.
There are also innovations in electro-optic systems, such as sights, laser pointers, thermal telescopes for snippers, and night vision equipment.
Remote activation
The brigade is developing many tools that operate remotely. Typically, a grenade launcher is operated by a soldier holding the weapon in his hand. However, the IDF requested to develop remote firing capabilities. Real feedback from the field gave rise to the ability to launch grenades remotely, which can now be carried out via cable or wirelessly.
This tool can stop an armored fighting vehicle (AFV). It fires chains of 32 bullets each, up to a range of about two kilometers. With the continuous chain of ammunition and the rate of fire, the noise is loud. It’s not a good idea to be on the target side of this grenade launcher.
The same can be said about a new system that activates a MAG gun. A lifting platform is equipped with a 'destroyer.' Rather than a soldier standing and personally handling it, the operator is equipped with a screen on which he sees the target and activates the MAG remotely without taking any risks.
In addition to remote capabilities, the Technological Brigade also concentrates on the underground, in the complex network of tunnels that are beneath the cities of the Gaza Strip. They are developing the means to detect shafts and destroy tunnels without requiring a fighter to enter a trapped shaft. Most of the weapons in development are classified.
The brigade developed an airlift supply and provisions system, already successfully used in the 98th division's combat in the south Gaza Strip. A GPS-based system directs the in-flight supply items directly from the parachuting aircraft to the target, the one waiting for the equipment. Another demand came from IDF fighters: a life-saving development of a smart gun slit equipped with an external sensor, installed on an armored vehicle.
All these and many other systems currently in development are characterized by one thing: the requests are initiated by the fighters on the ground.
A review of some of the most intriguing systems that might reach the troops soon
Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
The IDF’s Technological Brigade for Land has been working closely with the combat units fighting in Gaza to provide them with real-time technological innovations for operations. They have been learning the lessons of October 7 and planning the technological future of the army. Many of the developments result from lessons learned on that fateful day and from improvements made during under fire. The prominent motto is saving the lives of fighters through automation and remote operation.
Techno-digital power
The brigade has been keeping busy with devising diverse solutions, from developing anti-tank ammunition to planning and implementing the IDF's digital network; from a tiny drone to the ability of a military commander to activate the Air Force or Navy in seconds when needed for combat; from a smart shooting hatch in armored fighting vehicles to providing anti-drone protection for tanks.
The team involved is extensive and comprises both regular and reservist soldiers who hold a variety of professionals, a techno-digital force produces solutions for the demands of the army, from the digital to the cannon’s barrel.
The human and professional composition of the brigade is extraordinary: thousands of servicemen and women, 484 engineers, five PhDs, 148 master's degree graduates, 350 bachelor's degree graduates, technicians, engineers, production workers, scientists, and researchers. Few units in the IDF have professional staff at such high levels.
The test base is located in central Israel, close to the sea and in the middle of a nature reserve. At the base, the staff makes sure to preserve both nature and animals – while at the same time, working on tools, devices, systems, and weapons to safeguard the lives of combatants.
During the Swords of Iron War, we have seen the fighters with their helmets and ceramic vests. But neither be distributed before they pass a series of tests in this brigade. Helmets are tested at one of the dozens of testing stations. One hundred fifty types, made in Israel and abroad, were tested until the appropriate helmet was approved.
The team fires thousands of rounds into helmets and ceramic vests. At the beginning of the war, complaints were heard about a shortage of ceramics; it is true that some equipment was substandard and did not fit. We saw an experiment that examined an extreme scenario: detonating a hand grenade next to a helmet to test its penetration and survivability.
Development of armored vehicles
One of the lessons learned from October 7th is that we must develop armored vehicles that can go into combat. If several dozen such vehicles, operated by armed fighters, had been in the right place along the borders of the Gaza Strip, lives might have been saved. They might even have stopped and prevented further infiltration of Hamas terrorists into the surrounding settlements.
The testing grounds can be reached with one of two armored vehicles, the Tigris – manufactured by Israel’s Plasan; and the Flyer, made in the USA.
The Tigris is mainly intended for units in the West Bank. The vehicle has a system for dispersing demonstrations with space for a driver and eight fighters, and it is possible to return fire safely within the vehicle.
The Flyer is a protected 4x4 vehicle made in the USA with a rear engine designed for traveling in bad road conditions. During a test drive, the driver performed road gradient tests up to 30%, extremely steep ascents and descents, and combat terrain travel.
Weapons testing stations test are currently looking at several weapons for penetrating fortified buildings and penetrating walls, as well as other tools currently used by the Israeli forces, some have arrived from the US at the start of the war.
There are also innovations in electro-optic systems, such as sights, laser pointers, thermal telescopes for snippers, and night vision equipment.
Remote activation
The brigade is developing many tools that operate remotely. Typically, a grenade launcher is operated by a soldier holding the weapon in his hand. However, the IDF requested to develop remote firing capabilities. Real feedback from the field gave rise to the ability to launch grenades remotely, which can now be carried out via cable or wirelessly.
This tool can stop an armored fighting vehicle (AFV). It fires chains of 32 bullets each, up to a range of about two kilometers. With the continuous chain of ammunition and the rate of fire, the noise is loud. It’s not a good idea to be on the target side of this grenade launcher.
The same can be said about a new system that activates a MAG gun. A lifting platform is equipped with a 'destroyer.' Rather than a soldier standing and personally handling it, the operator is equipped with a screen on which he sees the target and activates the MAG remotely without taking any risks.
In addition to remote capabilities, the Technological Brigade also concentrates on the underground, in the complex network of tunnels that are beneath the cities of the Gaza Strip. They are developing the means to detect shafts and destroy tunnels without requiring a fighter to enter a trapped shaft. Most of the weapons in development are classified.
The brigade developed an airlift supply and provisions system, already successfully used in the 98th division's combat in the south Gaza Strip. A GPS-based system directs the in-flight supply items directly from the parachuting aircraft to the target, the one waiting for the equipment. Another demand came from IDF fighters: a life-saving development of a smart gun slit equipped with an external sensor, installed on an armored vehicle.
All these and many other systems currently in development are characterized by one thing: the requests are initiated by the fighters on the ground.
