Israel is said to be well prepared to deal with what its American friends fear to be an “imminent attack” from Iran. It has just engaged in an air war with Iranian proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon. It is facing periodic drone attacks from Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq. From time to time, its ships in the Red Sea are being hit by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Above all, its operations against the Hamas extremists in Gaza continue unabated. And yet, it seems that Israel has enough arms and ammunition in its armor to fight simultaneous or multiple challenges to its physical security.
What is more noteworthy is that Israeli defense industries like Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and Elbit are not only producing a formidable list of advanced weapon systems for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) but also finding increasing demand for their products in the international arms bazaars.
For instance, a just-released news report says that Rafael has attained robust financial results for the second quarter of 2024. The company achieved sales of NIS 3.9 billion ($1.1 billion), marking a 25% increase compared to the same period last year.
New orders in the second quarter reached NIS 6.4 billion ($1.7 billion), a 65% jump from the same quarter in 2023. For the first half of 2024, Rafael secured orders totaling NIS 14.2 billion ($3.8 billion), representing a 34% increase compared to the first half of 2023.
Rafael’s net profit for the first half of 2024 stood at NIS 364 million ($98 million), up from 110 million in the second half of 2023. In the second quarter alone, net profit reached NIS 132 million, compared to 61 million in the same period last year.
The company’s sales for the first half of 2024 totaled NIS 7.8 billion, a 28% increase from 6.1 billion in the first half of 2023. Approximately 50% of these sales were to the IDF, with the remainder destined for exports, principally to the United States, India, West Europe, and Southeast Asia.
Incidentally, India is the destination for up to 41% of Israel’s total arms exports – by far the largest client for the Israeli defense industry.
If anything, this only shows that despite the huge failure of the IDF in tackling what was arguably the most lethal attack on the country by Hamas on October 7 last year, Israeli forces and foreign buyers have great faith in the efficacy of Israeli systems.
According to Major General (Rd.) Yoav Har-Even, who was Rafael’s CEO until recently, “the failure on October 7 (swarm of drones- attack) is not the result of technological failure. Further investigations will be needed regarding operational and intelligence matters, but as for the systems developed by Rafael, the war has proven that we went in the right direction”.
Gen. Har-Even is emphatic that “The drone threat comes as no surprise. We knew it existed, and at Rafael, we’ve been addressing it for years. We have dozens of defense systems against drones that are operational in foreign armies. Rafael’s Drone Dome system is designed to address the threat of drones at a distance of around two miles, and it also decides whether to take down a drone – usually via disruption. The IDF has bought these systems, too. The question is whether we’ve deployed them for use. Are they being activated correctly?” he asks.
All told, Israel is said to be the most protected country in the world against rocket fire, with a multi-layer missile defense system consisting of Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow-2, and Arrow-3. Soon, these systems will be joined by Arrow-4 and the Iron Beam laser. No other country has the capabilities, ranging from detection to warning, to use radars and electro-optical sensors to nullify threats through multi-layered defense.
Major Defense Systems Of Israel
Arrow-2
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is the primary contractor for the development of the Arrow System in collaboration with the U.S. This system is designed to intercept long-range missiles, including ballistic missiles. It is equipped with an operational, advanced interceptor system defined by its two-stage capability and impressive maneuverability. It operates outside the atmosphere.
Arrow -3
The Arrow-3 system’s capabilities enable a longer range, higher altitude (exo-atmospheric), and more precise ballistic missile engagements.
The development of the Arrow is a joint Israeli-American project, with the collaboration of the MDA (Missile Development Agency of the U.S.). The primary contractor for the integration and development of the Arrow Weapon System is MLM of IAI.
The Elisra Company, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, developed the BMC system (The Battle Management and Control system is a command and control center that processes information from radar and makes decisions about whether to intercept incoming threats with missiles). Boeing, Tomer, and Rafael are the main subcontractors for the development and integration of the interceptor. Rafael is the company responsible for the development of various components of the weapon system.
David’s Sling
Also developed in collaboration with the U.S., the David’s Sling is meant to intercept medium-range missiles, such as those possessed by Hezbollah in Lebanon. The primary contractor for the system is Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, with Raytheon Missile Systems as a sub-contractor. The MMR (The Multi-Mission Radar) is developed by Elta, a subsidiary of IAI. The BMC, known as the Golden Almond, is developed by Elisra, an Elbit subsidiary.
Iron Dome
The Iron Dome is an innovative, mobile system that defends the state against short-range rockets. It is capable of successfully handling multiple incoming threats simultaneously. Furthermore, the Iron Dome is the world’s first missile defense system developed to tackle the threat of short-range rockets and UAVs.
This system, developed by Israel with U.S. backing, specializes in shooting down short-range rockets. It has intercepted thousands of rockets since it was activated early last decade – including thousands of interceptions during the current war against Hamas and Hezbollah. Israel says it has a success rate of over 90%.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems is the main contractor here, along with Elta of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and mPrest of Rafael.
Iron Beam
Israel is developing a new system to intercept incoming threats with laser technology. Israel has said this system will be a game changer because it is much cheaper to operate than existing systems. Though Rafael already developed it, it is supposed to be operational by the IDF in 2025.
According to Gen. Har-Even, Iron Beam is the most advanced system in the world. “It’ll allow us to increase Israel’s interception solutions and deal with all kinds of threats, such as UAVs, drones, and short—and mid-range rockets. The IDF will have batteries deployed with all types of defense systems, and we’ll be able to choose what to use.
“The Iron Beam will also let us significantly reduce interception costs. It’ll complement, not completely replace, Iron Dome. Interception costs will be reduced by around 80%. Each Iron Dome interception costs $100,000. With Iron Beam, the main expense will be purchasing the launching pad, but it’s infinite after purchasing, so Iron Beam is free. In its initial stage, it’ll intercept up to 7 miles, but the range will increase.”
Broadly speaking, as of today, the Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 systems are for outer layers; these are designed to intercept ballistic missiles fired from thousands of kilometers away. The Arrow-2 is optimized for destroying missiles in the atmosphere, while the Arrow-3 can hit them while they are coasting in space. Both are meant to minimize the chance that warheads or payloads from the destroyed targets cause harm on the ground.
David’s Sling is said to be providing the middle layer of protection against shorter-range ballistic missiles launched 100km to 200km (62 to 124 miles) away.
The short-range Iron Dome, which is optimized for destroying small, slow, unguided targets such as short-range rockets and drones, is the final ring of protection.
What is most noteworthy here is that all these Israeli systems are produced in close collaboration with the United States Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and receive joint funding. In fact, many of these systems are also manufactured within the United States. As Gen. Har-Even reveals, Israel depends on special American funding for David Sling and the Iron Dome.
“We rely on the Americans, period. Anyone thinking that we rely on the U.S. only for arms alone is wrong. They also finance those armaments – and that’s reason enough to be friends with them. You don’t need October 7 to know that we rely on the Americans. The Israeli defense industry manufactures lots of armaments for the IDF in the U.S. because the Americans’ terms for aid are that, with the aid funds, we manufacture on U.S. soil.
“We have a plant in Orlando with a $170 million turnover, and all its products are intended for Israel. We manufacture 70% of Iron Dome missiles, 60% of air-to-ground missiles, and 50% of Trophy systems (anti-tank missiles) in the United States. Anyone thinking we could break away from the Americans should consider the price”.
Incidentally, Israel is also open to co-production of weapons with other countries, including India. The Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), called the Drishti-10 Starliner, is an Indian-made version of Israel’s Elbit Systems’ cutting-edge Hermes-900 UAV.
There are many other instances of strategic collaborations between the defense industries of India and Israel, but that merit a separate story.
- Author and veteran journalist Prakash Nanda is Chairman of the Editorial Board – EurAsian Times and has been commenting on politics, foreign policy, on strategic affairs for nearly three decades. A former National Fellow of the Indian Council for Historical Research and recipient of the Seoul Peace Prize Scholarship, he is also a Professor at Reva University, Bangalore.
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