Brigadier General (Res.) Shmuel Yachin, head of the Israel Aerospace Industries’ land division, predicts that robotics will be entering the tactical battlefield en mass by 2015.
Yachin, a former head of IDF R&D, told IsraelDefense that robotic systems are entering the tactical field by land, sea, and air. “Towards the year 2015, we will see a huge increase in that area, and that will continue at an enhanced pace until the end
of the decade.”In the future, robots will exclusively complete missions performed today by small infantry forces. “As well as developing robotic systems, there is also a change in the operational concept that, combined, will usher in a big change.”
Yachin also said that IAI is planning on leading the development of military tactical robotic systems in the defense industry. He mentioned the Unmanned Vehicle (UV), developed by J-NOS, a subsidiary on IAI and Elbit Systems, and the hovercrafts developed by IAI.
IAI already revealed its small ETOP hovercraft that can carry up to 20 kg. With a platform tied to the ground, its electric engines receive an electrical current from the cable that holds it in place 100m. above ground.
Yachin continued by saying that a small radar system developed by Elta, with payloads from IAI’s T.M.M. factory, could be installed on the hovercraft and others like it.
“A commander of a tank battalion can get information beyond his line of sight, without using other factors. It is a revolution, but we only just started — we also have to plan hovercrafts that are not tied down and that will be able to carry loads of up to 200 kg,” Yachin said.
All of the robotic tactical tools that will be put into operational use by the IDF will be linked to a central database to perform "data fusion."
Not long ago, IAI revealed special Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), designated for use by tactical units. One of these includes the “Panther,” that can take off and land vertically, and the “Cheetah,” a small bi-rotory helicopter designated for special force units.
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