New Precision Guided Munitions for the IAF
While the Israeli Air Force is well equipped with ‘smart’ standoff weapon systems, threats developing close to the country’s borders and further afield require additional, even more capable munitions. Arie Egozi examines those currently in production.
A head-on view of a pair of Israeli Air Force F-16I Sufas armed with SPICE 1000 weapons. The jet in the background, Sufa 470, wears the markings of 253 ‘Negev’ Squadron based at Ramon, a unit that saw service in the Second Lebanon War in July 2006, carrying out “hundreds of successful bombings with various kinds of weaponry.” Yissachar Ruas
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has a requirement for more advanced air-launched standoff weapon systems and the local defence industry is working hard to supply them. The IAF’s demand stems from the operational problem of attacking high-value targets in areas protected by a variety of surface-to-air missiles (SAMs).
