Click to see full-size image. (Israeli Defense Forces)
Israel’s largest defense contractor Elbit Systems is developing a solution to combat Hezbollah’s drones, including through the potential use of laser-based defense systems, the company’s CEO told Reuters on May 26.
Hezbollah has been attacking the Israeli military using first-person view (FPV) suicide quadcopters on a regular basis since the start of the ceasefire in Lebanon, which was brokered by the United States last month. Most of the drones being used are guided via fiber-optic cables, which means they are completely immune to jamming.
In an interview, Elbit Systems’ chief executive Bezhalel Machlis said that the company is actively working with the Israeli Defense Ministry to develop a quick solution to the drone threat.
He added that could involve an “energy weapon solution,” noting that the company is “very active in energy weapons such as lasers.”
“There are other means, which are also relevant to this threat. We are heavily involved in the development of a solution [to] this challenge” of explosive drones, Machlis said after Elbit reported big gains in first-quarter revenue and profit. Its Nasdaq-listed shares rose 8% in morning trade.
The Israeli military has been using low-tech solutions like nets to stop Hezbollah FPV quadcopters, like mesh nets, but to avail.
Under pressure to address the drones threat, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged a day earlier to escalate attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon. But he did not spell out a plan to address the drones.
Netanyahu on May 26 said that Israel is “intensifying [its] operations” in Lebanon by taking strategic positions and reinforcing the security buffer zone
“We are intensifying our operations in Lebanon. The IDF is operating with significant forces on the ground and taking control of strategically dominant positions. We are reinforcing the security buffer zone in order to protect the communities of northern Israel,” Netanyahu said in a video released by his office.
“At the same time, we are carrying out a major national effort to advance creative and innovative solutions against explosive drones,” he added.
The solution suggested by Elbit Systems CEO is not new. The concept of using laser-based air defenses to counter FPV quadcopter has been suggested in the past, along with other ideas, like using gun-based systems, or existing active protection systems developed for main battle tanks, like Israel’s own Trophy system — developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, a competitor to Elibit Systems.
The issue is, however, not how to destroy these drones. In fact, this is the easy part, the main issue is how to detect and track them in the first place.
FPV quadcopters do not only have a very small radar and thermal footprints, but they also have an extremely flexible flight profile. They could fly centimeters over the ground, at extremely low speeds, or hub between buildings and structures, all while executing extreme maneuvers. The only real limit is the skill of the pilot.
It is that flexibility that makes such drones extremely difficult to detect, or in fact, straight out impossible to detect in most cases.
Israeli defense officials had previously warned that a solution to the threat will not come any time soon, and will not be hermetic. Based on this, what Machlis said is either extreme optimism, or extreme exaggeration. The threat posed by Hezbollah’s drone units will likely only grow with time.
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