Israel Defense Forces

History

2024

Purchase of a laser air defense system for $0.5 billion

On October 28, 2024, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced the signing of agreements with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Elbit Systems for the supply of a laser air defense system. The value of the contracts is about 2 billion new Israeli shekels (approximately $536 million at the exchange rate as of the specified date). Read more here

US State Department approves sale of 50 F-15IA aircraft to Israel with the start of deliveries in 2029

The US State Department in August 2024 approved the sale of the next aircraft to Israel - this time, we are talking about 50 new and promising F-15IA, that is, the version of the Eagle II F-15EX modified for local avionics and ammunition. Previously, deliveries should begin in 2029.

The main reason for the deal is the total obsolescence of the Israeli F-15 fleet. The age of the very first sides (i.e. F-15A/B/C/D) is in the range of 30-50 years, and their modernization is simply meaningless. Given the annual flight time of 300-500 hours and the rich "past," there are no modernization options there. And these are two squadrons, that is, just about 50 sides that need to be changed. But the F-15I built in the late 1990s are quite realistic to refine, wrote the channel "Turned on the Z War."

The second reason is that the F-35 does not cover the needs of the Israeli army. First of all, we are talking about the desire to have an aircraft with a flight range greater than that of the F-35 and capable of carrying ammunition like GBU-28, which the F-35 is not able to use. In fact, the F-15EX for the Israelis is interesting in two "hypostases" - a heavy "long-range" bomber capable of flying to Iranian nuclear facilities, and a "missile platform," which in the current realities turns into a very expensive, but very mobile air defense system. That is, this is either 13 tons of combat load, or 22 air-to-air missiles in "extreme" configurations.

In the next 20-30 years, the appearance of the Israeli Air Force will determine precisely the confrontation with Iran, and very "asymmetric" - technically, the Israelis significantly surpass their opponent, but will be forced to act in extremely unfavorable conditions for themselves. Accordingly, two types of aircraft will remain in the Air Force, as they were 50 years ago, only a pair of F-35 and F-15 appear instead of "mirages" and "phantoms." Moreover, in terms of bombing conditional Gaza or Lebanon, both of these aircraft are frankly redundant.

Perhaps the main intrigue here is different: will it be necessary to postpone plans to switch to the F-35 for the exercise of the option for an additional 25 F-15s and how the deal will affect the planned purchase of AH-64E attack helicopters, which sharply became relevant after the events of October 7, when it was two Apache links that burned a huge amount of Hamas equipment. Moreover, under the current American administration, the question of "whether" will be sold on the agenda is not so acute. The main question is why Israel will have enough of its own funds and American military assistance.

Use of Palestinians as human shields in mined tunnels

The Haaretz newspaper in August 2024 released an investigation according to which the AOI used the residents of the Gaza Strip as a "human shield" in conducting its operations in the enclave. The Israelis let them in front of them in potentially mined tunnels and buildings as "anthropomorphic mine trawls."

Mainly, the AOI used Palestinians accused of having links with militants, but sometimes attracted ordinary civilians, including the elderly and adolescents. They were dressed in Israeli military uniforms in order to "lure" Hamas fire, and also hung body cameras for remote surveillance.

According to journalists, the command of the AOI up to the chief of the General Staff was well aware of such a practice and did not see anything wrong with this. At the same time, for the implementation of such "missions," the captured Palestinians were promised release from custody.

Needless to say, such methods are prohibited by all possible conventions. However, over the past year, the ruling Israeli authorities have repeatedly publicly demonstrated their contempt for them, and the collective West with international organizations traditionally refuses to impose any real sanctions against Israel.

Comparison of the military power of Iran and Israel

As of April 2024

21 reservists killed in Hamas attack

The press service of the Israel Defense Forces reported that on January 22, 2024, 21 reservists were killed in an explosion in Al-Magazi in the central Gaza Strip in Palestine. Fighters mined the building for subsequent demolition when a Hamas rebel opened fire from the RPG on a tank providing infantry cover.

Further, the versions differ: one by one - a repeated shot from the RPG led to the detonation of the charges planted in the house, another - it was caused by the actuation of the Trophy active protection complex, the striking elements of which hit the explosives.

This is the second known such episode in the Gaza Strip in recent years, associated with the death of a group of AOI fighters from an abnormal detonation of explosive charges.

The incident was the largest one-time loss of the AOI since the start of the ground operation in the enclave, which was expected to cause a reaction in Israeli society.

Hezbollah strike on Israeli military air traffic control base Meron

In January 2024, Hezbollah spoke about its missile strike on Meron, an Israeli air traffic control base on top of Mount Jarmak in northern occupied Palestine and its highest mountain peak.

Meron Base is considered the only air control, surveillance and control center in the north, and there is no serious alternative.

It is one of two bases in Israel, Meron to the north and the other "Mitzpe Ramon" to the south.

Meron Base organizes, coordinates and manages all air operations in the direction of,,, and the Syria Lebanon Turkey Cyprus northern part of the eastern Mediterranean basin.

The base is a large center for conducting electronic suppression operations in these directions. This base employs a large number of elite Israeli officers and soldiers.

2023

Thousands of women and children killed by AI system solutions without people involved to launch strikes in Palestine

Main article: Lavender, Israel's military AI system

Use of white phosphorus munitions in military operations in Gaza and Lebanon

Human Rights Watch in October 2023 accused Israel of using white phosphorus ammunition in military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, saying the use of such weapons puts civilians at risk of serious and long-term injuries.

Israel's army has begun using AI in its war with Iran. What it will change

In mid-July 2023, it became known that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began introducing artificial intelligence tools to improve the effectiveness of combat operations in the war with Iran.

According to Bloomberg, the IDF uses AI algorithms when planning attacks and organizing logistics. We are talking about the use of several models based on neural networks. One of them is used to process huge amounts of disparate data, and the results obtained help in determining targets for air strikes. The second AI model, called the Fire Factory, uses data on military-approved purposes to calculate ammunition stocks for aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as to build priorities. At the same time, thousands of a wide variety of goals can be taken into account.

IDF begins to introduce AI to improve the effectiveness of combat operations in the war with Iran

Both AI systems are controlled by professional operators who check and approve targets chosen by the neural network. It is emphasized that the use of such an approach does not fall under legislative regulation either in Israel itself or at the international level. On the one hand, intelligent algorithms can surpass human capabilities and help the military minimize losses. On the other hand, critics warn, the introduction of autonomous systems can carry deadly consequences.

What used to take hours now takes minutes, and it takes a few more minutes to check the results of AI by man, "said Colonel Uri, who heads the IDF's digital transformation unit.

The Israel Defense Forces have been using AI for quite some time, but details about the operation of these systems remain largely classified for security reasons. It is known that when determining goals, large amounts of data are analyzed - video recordings from drones and video surveillance cameras, satellite images transmitted on communication networks and the Internet, etc. This helps to increase the effectiveness of military operations.^[1]

2021

Hackers hacked into computers of Israel's armed forces

On October 26, 2021, hackers leaked the personal data of hundreds of Israeli army personnel and those, as well as those citizens who are already close to military age, to the Internet. Officials in Israel believe Iran is behind the attack. No official comments have yet been received from Tehran.

Posting information on the dark web, a group of hackers calling themselves, Moses Headquarters, hacked into more than 165 servers and 254 websites and collected more than 11 TB of data, and also said it was monitoring the Israeli defense minister. Benny Gantz is the 20th Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces from May 17, 2020 and Deputy Prime Minister of the country from June 13, 2021, also has the rank of Lieutenant General of the Reserve of the Israel Defense Forces.

Hackers hacked into computers of the Israeli armed forces and published personal data of military personnel

We are aware of every decision you make and will hit you where you least expect it. We have classified documents from the Israeli Defense Ministry, operational military maps and information about the deployment of troops, and we will publish your crimes to the whole world, "said a statement from a group of hackers, Moses Headquarters.

On October 25, 2021, personal photos of Gantz were published on the Internet after the hack. Benny Gantz replied that the systems had already been compromised a week earlier, so the ministry's warning would still not have made any difference.

As explained in the Israeli National Cybersecurity Center, even such a minor action as opening a letter or clicking on a link could lead to a compromise of the system. In any case, the government is not going to follow the lead of cybercriminals, but intends to independently restore all systems. However, in this case, there is a risk that hackers will continue to publish personal data of the country's military personnel on the Internet. The data reset included ranks, units and contact details of soldiers, as well as more private information relating to their personal lives, which they shared with their commanders, according to the report.^[2]

World's first use of AI-controlled combat drone group

In early July 2021, it became known that Israel was the first in the world to use a group of combat drones controlled by artificial intelligence. The operation itself took place two months earlier - in May.

According to the New Scientist, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has deployed unmanned aerial vehicles with automatic control in order to detect, identify and attack Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. This is the first known case of the use of the so-called swarm of drones for military purposes.

For the first time, artificial intelligence has become a key component and means of increasing strength in the fight against the enemy. This is the first campaign of its kind for the IDF. We have introduced new methods of work and used technological developments that have increased the strength of the entire army, "said a senior officer of the IDF intelligence corps, who wished to remain anonymous.

Israel first in the world to use AI-driven combat drone group

He explained that years before the outbreak of hostilities in May 2021, the IDF created a technological platform that summarizes all data on terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip in one system. This made it possible to analyze and extract information. Specialists from Detachment 8200, an elite unit of the intelligence corps, developed programs using artificial intelligence called Alchemist, Gospel and Depth of Wisdom, which were used during hostilities.

Combat drones are equipped with the latest version of the Israeli Torch 750 network control system with MIL C4I support. Also, all drones in the swarm are combined into a network and controlled by AI.

The operator sets a command for the entire drone network at once. In case of failure or destruction of one of the UAVs, the network is rebuilt and continues to perform the combat mission. In addition, operators can change the target of the sortie at any time or return drones to base.^[3]

1992

American model Cindy Crawford with IDF soldiers, 1992.

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