mosze_zblisko_daleka
31.08.06, 11:46
Armed UAVs were employed by the IAF throughout the war, but without any great
visibility. But toward the end of the conflict, few missiles were fired from
UAVs during the daytime, and they were spotted by ground observers. A least
one of them claimed he was in a convoy of civilian automobiles that was
attacked.
As recently as June, Israeli aerospace industry officials said the decision
had not been made to arm the UAVs for political reasons. IAF officials simply
would not discuss the capability. Israeli industry officials said the first
UAV designed to carry and launch missiles would not be rolled out for another
18 months. That may be true in a strict sense, but it's now known that
an "already-developed [UAV] capability," was adapted to fire missiles in this
latest conflict, says an Israeli official with insight into the effort.
Details are still sketchy about which aircraft was used. Several officials in
Israel say the armed UAVs are not Israel Aircraft Industries' Heron, which
just became operational in July, nor the longer-serving Searcher II. The only
other operational UAV deemed big enough to carry an effective weapons payload
is Elbit's Hermes 450. The Hermes 450 was seen in flight in 2002 at Palmachim
AB, where it was being operated by 200 (UAV) squadron. The IAF has always
been guarded about the UAV's mission and status. The military said it was
only in a test program, but aerospace industry officials contradicted them,
saying that the Hermes 450 was already flying operational missions.
While denying any insight into Israeli wartime missions, U.S. aerospace
officials point out that Northrop Grumman demonstrated missile-firing
capability--with four Hellfire missiles, sensors and weapons pylons--using an
IAI Heron derivative. Called the Hunter 2 for the U.S. Army's extended-range
multi-purpose UAV program, the UAV was demonstrated in January 2005. The
system was subsequently deployed to Iraq carrying the Viper Strike weapons
package, but it was only used in the surveillance role.
However, as early as 2003, the IAF was planning to arm UAVs. Planners decided
that too much of their weaponry was designed for the antitank mission and had
proved unsuited for urban combat during the West Bank fighting in 2002. For
example, antiarmor weapons would punch through buildings without harming the
insurgent fighters inside. What was needed was a weapon that would explode in
a building's interior. They also complained that the TOW missiles carried by
the U.S.'s UAVs had too small a warhead and lacked sufficient range.
To answer those needs, Rafael developed the Spike-ER (extended-range)
missile, with a range of about 5 mi., that offers a dual electro-optical and
infrared seeker to help locate concealed targets (AW&ST June 16, 2003, p.
151). Another advantage over the Hellfire is that the Spike can be flown into
the target by an operator, or it can be operated as a fire-and-forget system.
In fact, Rafael has devised several air-launched configurations for Spike-ER,
including a four-pack launcher for use on such attack helicopters as the
Cobra, but also two-pack versions for smaller rotorcraft. A Hermes 450, with
a payload capacity of around 150 kg. (330 lb.), is able to carry two missiles
with launcher equipment .
