Israel's UAV Experience Turns 40

Israel may not have been the first country to employ unmanned aircraft, but it is, without doubt, the country that has done the most to bring about the widescale acceptance of UAV use. 

The country now has marked 40 years of unmanned aircraft operations at Squadron 200, its longest existing unit based at Palmachim air base.

(Israel's first operational UAV, the Scout. Credit: IAI)

In those 40 years, the IDF has operated a range of unmanned aircraft in a variety of conflicts. The country's air force, five years ago, also shot down an adversary unmanned aircraft, marking another area of unmanned aircraft conflict where Israel has been ahead of others.

Those activities have given not just the Israeli military and edge, but also local industry. Israeli companies have become major exporters of unmanned aircraft. Aside from the U.S., Israel is the largest contributor of unmanned aircraft in Afghanistan, even though the country's military itself is not deployed there. But Germany, France, and Australia, to name just some, use the country's unmanned aircraft in supporting NATO operations there.

Where will Israel go next with unmanned aircraft?

The level of secrecy Israel sustains over some of its activities makes that had to predict. Israel has armed unmanned aircraft, but will not talk about them.

The country also  talked of using unmanned aircraft in missile defense roles, both to shoot down a launching missile or to attack a launcher, but there is little apparent activity in that field at this moment.

Given Israel's concern about Iran's nuclear program, it is hard to imagine very long-range intelligence gathering and strike systems are not somewhere part of the calculus. Israel does not talk much about unmanned combat air vehicles, but that certainly does not suggest there is not ample of effort in that arena.