Archive: October 30, 2023

Submarine sector study looks at busy repair schedule, AUKUS work

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy and the Defense Department completed an updated study of the submarine-industrial base, its upcoming workload, and what the military and industry ought to do to bolster the sector.

Previous studies — which informed about $6.3 billion in past and planned future government spending to shore up suppliers and prepare the industrial base to increase its output — looked at what it would take to prepare prime contractor General Dynamics Electric Boat and its thousands of suppliers to build one Columbia-class and two Virginia-class submarines a year, Jay Stefany, the acting assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, told Defense News.

Despite past spending, readiness of the in-service fleet has lagged, as has construction on the Virginia attack subs.

So this newest study takes a broader look at the full workload — not just the so-called one-plus-two construction rate of submarines but also in-service submarine sustainment and additional work to support the AUKUS trilateral agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S., Stefany said.

This submarine-industrial base study, called SIB-25, also takes a specific look at workforce development, strategic outsourcing and advanced technology that could support this entire range of workload.

The Navy and the Pentagon are briefing this study to lawmakers and their staffs, but have not publicly released the results.

SIB-25 informed the Biden administration’s recent supplemental spending request, which asked for $3.4 billion in spending on the sector. According to a fact sheet provided by Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., the supplemental includes $2.5 billion to bolster the submarine-industrial base through five lines of effort: supplier development; shipbuilder and supplier infrastructure; workforce development; technology advancements; and strategic outsourcing.

It also includes $558 million in operations and maintenance dollars to support improvements to the Navy’s public shipyards that perform most of the submarine maintenance and repair work, plus another $282 million in military construction funds to improve the yards’ infrastructure.

In addition to the SIB-25 study, the Navy also recently crafted a 15-year maintenance strategy for its attack submarine fleet. Two-thirds of that fleet is operationally available, compared to a goal of 80%. This maintenance strategy will help guide the Navy to reaching its goal by fiscal 2028 and then keep up that readiness even as the industrial base is also supporting its highest construction rate in 40 years.

Fincantieri, Leonardo team up on underwater drone effort

ROME — Italy’s Fincantieri and Leonardo are to work together on underwater drones designed to protect cables and pipelines on the seabed amid a growing awareness of the value and vulnerability of sub-sea infrastructure.

With a memorandum of understanding signed on Friday in the presence of the head of the Italian Navy, the two firms’ chief executives pledged to pool their “respective expertise and capabilities in the sector.”

As well as developing new platforms for monitoring and protecting ”strategic underwater networks, cables, communication backbones, offshore infrastructure and underwater threat alert systems,” the firms said they would work on “the safeguarding of exploration, sea mining, and extraction activities on the seabed for access to valuable mineral resources.”

This week, Italian junior defense minister Matteo Perego di Cremnago told Defense News the Italian navy was already discussing with industry how it could cooperate on the protection of the future mining of rare earths and lithium on the sea bed of the Mediterranean. Demand for the substances, which are key to microchips and batteries for electric vehicles, is soaring globally amid fears China has a chokehold on the market.

The need to protect undersea infrastructure has become more keenly felt since the Nord Stream gas pipeline attack in the Baltic Sea last year. Following the attack, the Italian navy agreed with Italian internet firm Sparkle to use its submarines to monitor internet cables which crisscross the seabed of the Mediterranean.

This year, Italy took the lead on a new project in EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation, known as PESCO, to improve sub-sea security for energy pipelines and internet cables.

Defense firm Leonardo and shipyard Fincantieri already collaborate on naval programs through their joint venture Orizzonte Sistemi Navali. In their statement, the firms said their team-up on undersea work was linked to the pending opening of a National Underwater Hub at La Spezia in Italy next year, which will bring together companies, universities, research centres and the navy.

US to build new nuclear gravity bomb

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Defense Department on Friday announced the government is moving forward with developing a new version of the B61 nuclear gravity bomb.

The bomb, designated B61-13, would have a yield similar to the B61-7 and replace some of those older gravity bombs, the Pentagon said in its announcement. The B61-7′s yield is higher than the B61-12, the most recent bomb being added to the military’s arsenal.

The Pentagon said the decision to build this weapon was made to reflect the changing security environment in line with the 2022 Nuclear Posture Review. That study said the military needed to modernize its nuclear forces to properly deter its two main nuclear-armed competitors, China and Russia.

The B61-13 will use the same modern safety, security and accuracy features now incorporated into the B61-12, the Pentagon said in a fact sheet accompanying the release. It would also give the president more options to strike “harder and large-area military targets,” the Pentagon said, while the department works to retire legacy bombs such as the B61-7 and B83-1.

Hans Kristensen, a nuclear weapons expert at the Federation of American Scientists who was briefed by the Pentagon on the bomb earlier this week, told Defense News the weapon will incorporate the same warheads from the 1980s- and 1990s-era B61-7s, transplanted into the same style casing and tail kit as the B61-12.

Kristensen said the creation of this bomb is likely intended to be a compromise to break a yearslong disagreement between Democrats and Republicans over the fate of the massive, 4-decade-old B83-1 bomb.

Former President Barack Obama sought to get rid of the 1.2-megaton B83-1 — the last megaton bomb left in the country’s nuclear arsenal and one that would explode with 80 times the force of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. But his successor, former President Donald Trump, reversed that decision.

President Joe Biden since revived efforts to get rid of the B83. But key Republican lawmakers have objected, saying the B83-1 is needed to strike hard and deeply buried targets.

The maximum yield of the B61-7 — and by extension the new variant — is 360 kilotons, Kristensen said, while the B61-12 has a maximum yield of 50 kilotons.

“This is a sweetener to the hardliners in Congress to basically say: ‘OK guys, you want something with a high yield,” Kristensen said. “ ‘Here’s a small number of them … but you also get one with a tail kit that will be more accurate.’ ”

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement they welcome the creation of a new B61 variant, but that it “is only a modest step in the right direction.”

“The B61-13 is not a long-term solution, but it will provide our commanders, particularly in [the Pacific and European regions], with more flexibility against these target sets,” Rogers and Wicker said. “As the Strategic Posture Commission recently noted, China and Russia are in a full-on arms race, and the U.S. is running in place. Dramatic transformation of our deterrent posture — not incremental or piecemeal changes — is required to address this threat.”

The Pentagon said the creation of this bomb will not lead to an overall increase in the size of the military’s stockpile. The United States plans to lower the number of B61-12s it will produce by as many B61-13s it builds.

Kristensen said defense officials indicated very few B61-13s are expected to be produced, on the order of a few dozen. He doubted their creation, alongside the retirement of B61-7s, would lead to much, if any, decline in the number of gravity bombs in the United States’ arsenal, which he said is somewhere between 400 and 500.

If the B61-13 is approved and funded by lawmakers, the Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration will produce it.

The Pentagon said in its announcement that modern aircraft would be able to deliver this bomb.

In a follow-up statement, a Pentagon spokesperson said that will include the B-21 Raider stealth bomber the Air Force now has in development with Northrop Grumman. But the U.S. now does not plan to deploy it on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Pentagon said.

But whether the creation of the B61-13 will ultimately be a positive development is “the million-dollar question,” Kristensen said.

“If you work for the administration and you don’t want to waste money on maintaining the [B]83, then it’s a good position,” Kristensen said. “If you work outside and you look at what’s going on, you might want to say that it’s unfortunate we have to field nuclear weapons as sort of nuclear horse trading in Congress.”

“It’s probably not a new phenomenon,” he added. “But we understand the administration has decided that this is what it needs to sort of sweet talk the defense hawks into getting rid of the [B]83.”

Turkey F-16 sale not a done deal, even with Sweden’s NATO bid on track

WASHINGTON ― Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent the ratification protocols for Sweden’s NATO accession to parliament this week, but it’s unclear whether that’s enough to lock down the $20 billion sale for 40 new F-16s that Ankara seeks.

That’s because the four key U.S. lawmakers who would need to greenlight the Block 70 F-16 fighter jets to Turkey are voicing concerns about other issues unrelated to Sweden’s NATO accession.

The chairs and ranking members of the foreign affairs committees in both the Senate and House can unilaterally place holds on arms sales. And as of right now, at least two of them won’t commit to signing off on the sale just yet.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., told reporters Thursday he’s pleased to see Turkey moving positively on Sweden’s NATO bid, noting “it’s clear that they had to get this done before we would consider arms sales.”

“But there are other issues that we evaluate on arms sales,” Cardin added. “The use of the weapons systems, the human rights issues and concerns that we have. So there are other issues that we’ll be looking at.”

“But I don’t want to give any signals right now because we haven’t had those conversations with the administration,” he said. “I first want to hear from the administration.”

The U.S. State Department has yet to formally notify Congress of the Turkey F-16 sale, but national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in July that the Biden administration would move forward with the deal after Erdogan agreed to lift his hold on Sweden’s NATO membership.

The office of House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul, R-Texas, did not respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the ranking member “looks forward to the Turkish parliament’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession, as well as the cessation of attacks on U.S. partners in the region, cooperation on countering illicit Russian financial flows and a de-escalation of tensions in the Aegean.”

“The transmission of these protocols alone has not changed his position, and he hopes they are immediately ratified and progress is made on all these issues,” Meeks’ spokesperson said.

Turkish airstrikes have bombarded civilian infrastructure in Kurdish-held northeast Syria, cutting of water and electricity throughout much of the area. The Turkish strikes have killed at least 218 civilians, according to the Kurdish-led administration, which is backed by roughly 900 U.S. troops stationed in Syria.

Turkey launched its latest campaign against northeast Syria earlier this month after a group linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, attacked the Interior Ministry in Ankara, injuring two officers. The PKK is affiliated with the Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria.

Turkey has previously used American-made F-16s it owns during its prior aerial attacks in northeast Syria. Turkey also stationed F-16s in Azerbaijan during the 2020 war with Armenia over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan won that war, and more than 100,000 Armenians fled the area in September, a move Armenia has described as ethnic cleansing.

Asked by Defense News about Turkey’s actions in Syria and Azerbaijan, Sen. James Risch of Idaho — the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — said he has concerns. However, he added, he may still give the greenlight for the F-16s should Turkey ratify Sweden’s NATO membership.

Risch told reporters the Biden administration has not reached out to Congress since Erdogan submitted the ratification protocols to parliament, but said: “I don’t think they really need to since we have had long, detailed conversations about that. Everybody knows what the parameters were.”

While the F-16 sale still hangs in the balance, Turkey’s most significant obstacle to the deal is no longer a factor. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., lost his position as chairman of the foreign relations panel after the Justice Department unveiled a corruption indictment against him in September — the second of his political career. As such, Menendez has lost his authority to unilaterally hold up arms sales.

Menendez had vowed to hold the F-16 sale even if Turkey ratifies Sweden’s NATO accession, citing a litany of other issues. One of his most prominent concerns was Turkey’s repeated incursions into the airspace of fellow NATO ally Greece and its ongoing occupation of northern Cyprus.

The New Jersey Democrat has pleaded not guilty to charges indicating he accepted bribes from Egypt and in turn lobbied his Senate colleagues not to cut or condition U.S. military aid to Cairo. Menendez remains in the Senate and is seated on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Czech Republic orders new batch of air-to-air missiles from Rafael

BRNO, Czech Republic — The Czech ministry of defense has confirmed that it will spend $120 million on the procurement of 48 long-range, air-to-air missiles made by Israeli arms manufacturer Rafael Systems.

The contract, which will see Prague acquire the I-Derby ER missile type by 2027, is expected to be signed by the end of the month, the defense ministry said, as quoted by local news agency ČTK on Oct. 25.

The new missiles for the Czech Armed Forces are to complement the Spyder short-range air defense system, purchased in 2021 and also made by Rafael. This earlier agreement includes the delivery of four ground-based launchers by 2026.

According to the ministry, the latest deal for Derby missiles will involve the participation of Czech companies in the provision of missile containers, integrated logistical support and information systems.

“The supplier [Rafael] undertook to account for at least the equivalent of $14 million in the Czech Republic,” the ministry stated.

The Czech Republic recently published a defense strategy that outlined new modernization objectives. The document proclaimed a focus on territorial defense and a plan to strengthen the domestic industry while accelerating procurements.

The objectives were a focus of the GSOF Symposium event held here Oct. 24-26.

“In relation to our 2030 military development plan, the systems we are buying now risk being obsolete by then,” Col. Jiri Hrazdil, director of the capability planning department at the Czech Armed Forces, told the audience.

The news that Prague has opted to buy Israeli missiles came on the day that Czech Republic’s Prime Minister Petr Fiala was visiting his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, in Tel Aviv, weeks after Hamas terrorists from Gaza swarmed southern Israel in a killing and kidnapping spree.

“The Czech Republic has been a very, very strong supporter of Israel throughout good and dark times,” Netanyahu told Fiala. “This is our darkest hour and we appreciate the fact that you are standing here.”

Italy readies quick sale of patrol ships to Indonesia amid China fears

ROME — Italy is in talks with Indonesia to sell the Pacific nation two of its new PPA multipurpose patrol vessels, an Italian minister has told Defense News.

The ships to be sold would be among those already being built for the Italian navy in order to accelerate delivery, said Italian junior defense minister Matteo Perego di Cremnago.

He added that regional tensions with China meant Indonesia needed new ships rapidly.

“All countries in the region want to increase their fleets rapidly so fast deliveries are needed. Today, you can no longer think of delivering vessels within three years – we need to accelerate programs,” he said.

Italy has ordered seven of the multi-purpose vessels from local shipyard Fincantieri, with six now launched and three already in service with the Italian navy.

Vessel number six, the Ruggiero di Lauria, was launched on Oct. 6 at Fincantieri’s Muggiano yard in Italy.

The two vessels which could be sold to Indonesia would either be among those launched but yet to enter into service, or include the seventh, still-unlaunched vessel. The Italian navy would then order two more to fulfill its own requirement.

“It is not clear which of the vessels would go to Indonesia, that depends on when a contract is signed,” said Perego di Cremnago.

In 2020, Italy agreed to sell Egypt the final two of ten FREMM frigates it was already building for the Italian navy.

Rome decided to divert the two vessels to Egypt, then order two more from Fincantieri to complete the Italian navy’s complement of ships.

“There needs to be a flexibility on the part of companies, so they think, ‘I am already building this vessel, maybe I can divert it to that customer,’” said Perego di Cremnago.

“We did that with the two Fremms for Egypt which were due to go to the Italian navy. We could do the same thing with the PPAs,” he added.

The 143 meter long PPA vessels, which displace around 4,900 tonnes, can be configured in different versions, from disaster relief to full war-fighting. The ships are notable for their “naval cockpit” bridge, which were designed with help from naval aviators to resemble an aircraft’s cockpit and require just two navigators to pilot the vessel.

The talks with Indonesia stem from a tour of the Indo-Pacific region undertaken by one of Italy’s vessels, with stops in the Philippines, India, Singapore and Malaysia.

“The tour showed Italy is increasing operations in the Indo- Pacific, and was also a way to show Italian technological capabilities,” said Perego di Cremnago.

If a deal with Indonesia goes through, Italy will offer the transfer of technology and know-how, he added.

“All countries ask for it and we are ready,” he said.

Fincantieri previously signed to sell six FREMM frigates to Indonesia in2021.

Separately, a pan-European program for a new corvette received a boost this week in Rome when European defense contracting agency signed with manufacturers to launch the program’s first, two year phase.

Fincantieri, Spain’s Navantia, France’s Naval Group and other firms, coordinated by Naviris – a joint venture between Fincantieri and Naval Group – signed up for the European Patrol Corvette program.

The European Defense Fund will contribute €60 million for the ongoing program phase, with another €27 million supplied by member states Italy, France, Spain, Denmark, Greece and Norway.

US strikes Iran-linked sites in Syria after attacks on US troops

The U.S. military launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Pentagon said, in retaliation for a slew of drone and missile attacks against U.S. bases and personnel in the region that began early last week.

The U.S. strikes reflect the Biden administration’s determination to maintain a delicate balance. The U.S. wants to hit Iranian-backed groups suspected of targeting the U.S. as strongly as possible to deter future aggression, possibly fueled by Israel’s war against Hamas, while also working to avoid inflaming the region and provoking a wider conflict.

According to the Pentagon, there have been at least 12 attacks on U.S. bases and personnel in Iraq and four in Syria since Oct. 17. Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said 21 U.S. personnel were injured in two of those assaults that used drones to target al-Asad Airbase in Iraq and al-Tanf Garrison in Syria.

In a statement, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the “precision self-defense strikes are a response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups that began on October 17.”

He said President Joe Biden directed the narrowly tailored strikes “to make clear that the United States will not tolerate such attacks and will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests.” And he added that the operation was separate and distinct from Israel’s war against Hamas.

Austin said the U.S. does not seek a broader conflict, but if Iranian proxy groups continue, the U.S. won’t hesitate to take additional action to protect its forces.

According to the Pentagon, all the U.S. personnel hurt in the militant attacks received minor injuries and all returned to duty. In addition, a contractor suffered a cardiac arrest and died while seeking shelter from a possible drone attack.

The retaliatory strikes came as no surprise. Officials at the Pentagon and the White House have made it clear for the past week that the U.S. would respond, with Ryder saying again Thursday that it would be “at the time and place of our choosing.”

“I think we’ve been crystal clear that we maintain the inherent right of defending our troops and we will take all necessary measures to protect our forces and our interests overseas,” he told reporters during a Pentagon briefing earlier in the day.

The latest spate of strikes by the Iranian-linked groups came in the wake of a deadly explosion at a Gaza hospital, triggering protests in a number of Muslim nations. The Israeli military has relentlessly attacked Gaza in retaliation for the devastating Hamas rampage in southern Israel nearly three weeks ago, but Israel has denied responsibility for the al-Ahli hospital blast and the U.S. has said its intelligence assessment found that Tel Aviv was not to blame.

The U.S., including the Pentagon, has repeatedly said any strike response by America would be directly tied to the attacks on the troops, and not connected to the war between Israel and Hamas. Such retaliation and strikes against Iranian targets in Syria after similar attacks on U.S. bases are routine.

In March, for example, the U.S. struck sites in Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard after an Iranian-linked attack killed a U.S. contractor and wounded seven other Americans in northeast Syria. American F-15 fighter jets flying out of al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar struck several locations around Deir el-Zour.

U.S. officials have routinely stressed that the American response is designed to be proportional, and is aimed at deterring strikes against U.S. personnel who are focused on the fight against the Islamic State group.

U.S. officials have not publicly tied the recent string of attacks in Syria and Iraq to the violence in Gaza, but Iranian officials have openly criticized the U.S. for providing weapons to Israel that have been used to strike Gaza, resulting in civilian death.

Kuwait receives four Eurofighter Typhoons

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Kuwaiti Air Force received four Eurofighter Typhoons this week, bringing its fleet size to 13 out of the 28 on order, the country’s official Kuwait News Agency announced.

Deliveries began in December 2021 as part of an effort to enhance the service’s combat readiness.

The Eurofighter acquisition program is part of a collaboration between Kuwait and Italy, in which their air forces train together.

The Italian Air Force is providing air-to-air refueling with its KC-767A tanker aircraft, and the service plans to train pilots, engineers and technicians to support Kuwait’s Eurofighter fleet.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is equipped with electronic warfare capabilities and a Mauser BK27mm gun. It can also carry various types of missiles.

The aircraft can reach speeds exceeding Mach 1, and each of the jets sent to Kuwait have an active electronically scanned array radar. The aircraft received thus far have exceeded 400 flight hours in total.

The eventual 28 Eurofighters will complement the Kuwaiti Air Force’s F/A-18 Hornet and Mirage F1 jets.

Northrop reports strong growth, expects ‘zero profit’ on B-21 contract

WASHINGTON — Northrop Grumman on Thursday reported sales in its most recent quarter grew 9%, buoyed by increases in all four of its sectors.

The company recorded nearly $9.8 billion in sales for the third quarter of 2023, up from nearly $9 billion during the same period a year earlier. That included 11% growth in its space division, 9% in aeronautics and 6% in its defense sector.

Northrop Grumman also reported quarterly profit of $937 million, up 2% from the prior year.

Northrop Grumman chief executive Kathy Warden said in a call with analysts Thursday the company now has a record-high backlog of $84 billion.

And Warden highlighted Northrop Grumman’s win of a $705 million Air Force contract to build a stand-in attack weapon, or SiAW, for the F-35. This missile will be an air-to-ground weapon intended to strike enemies’ mobile air defense targets.

Northrop said it plans to build on its experience creating the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range, or AARGM-ER, and integrating it onto the F-35 as it develops the SiAW.

Dave Keffer, Northrop Grumman’s chief financial officer, said on the call that aeronautics growth stemmed from higher volume in manned aircraft programs, such as a $1.3 billion award for the E-2 Hawkeye, and $3.6 billion in contracts for classified programs. Northrop’s defense growth was driven by higher volume in programs including the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile, the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System and the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System.

Keffer said the company still anticipates receiving a low-rate initial production contract for the B-21 from the Air Force by the end of 2023. This contract would likely come after the bomber’s first flight this year, he said.

Northrop Grumman’s comments came a day after the Air Force confirmed the first B-21 has begun taxi tests at the service’s Plant 42 facility in Palmdale, California, which is a key step before the first flight can take place.

Air Force officials have not said whether they expect to award an LRIP contract this year. Warden said budget turmoil on Capitol Hill would not affect the B-21′s first flight or the timing of its LRIP contract.

She cautioned the B-21 is not likely to be profitable at first, reiterating her previous warning in January that a loss of up to $1.2 billion on the LRIP contract is possible. But she said Northrop expects the B-21 to contribute to future growth.

“We are planning at a zero profitability” on the B-21 for now, Warden said. “But we have to perform, and we are working hard to ensure that plan is what we achieve.”

What weapons might Israeli forces use for a ground campaign in Gaza?

JERUSALEM — Israel’s campaign into the Gaza Strip started Thursday with a brief incursion of armored and engineering forces laying the path for a wider ground entrance.

The vanguard mission came after almost two weeks of Israeli bombardments of Hamas targets that are meant to neutralize some of the threats ahead of incoming forces.

Israel is responding to an Oct. 7 attack by the militant group Hamas on kibbutzim and cities in the country’s south that killed more than 1,400 civilians. The militant group also kidnapped hundreds of people of varying ages.

Local analysts expect the conflict will expand to Israel’s northern border, given the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah is attacking from that direction.

The Israeli Defense Ministry has available a range of weapons from the country’s defense firms that could be used as ground forces prepare to enter Gaza, though government officials have kept their plans secret.

One of the new technologies that could see combat is the Spark drone developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and its subsidiary Aeronautics. The Israeli Air Force received the system last month.

Not much is known about the Spark except for the Air Force’s description of the drone as pivotal for “multidimensional warfare,” intelligence missions and “precision-strike coordination.”

Israel’s Trophy active protection system for armored vehicles, also developed by Rafael, is expected to play a key role in disabling anti-tank weapons as forces advance. Already purchased by various foreign armies, the countermeasures suite is installed on Israel’s Merkava IV tanks.

This year Israeli forces also began receiving the Barak tank, which is the fifth iteration of the Merkava, equipped with an improved Trophy system and a radar target finder for its cannon.

Along with additional cameras and sensors that provide situational awareness for the Barak tank crew, the platform can fight better than its predecessors with the tank hatches closed while the crew is protected inside.

The newest tank type has yet to enter the Israel Defense Forces on a large scale, but military leaders could use the Gaza incursion to test its promise of improved survivability.

Eyes will also turn to Rafael’s Fire Weaver system, developed with the Israeli Defense Ministry’s weapons development directorate. The networked sensor-to-shooter system is meant for maneuvering forces, and the company says it connects intelligence-gathering equipment to trigger weapons within one minute of target identification. The Fire Weaver has reportedly been operational since 2022.

“The campaign in Gaza consists of several stages, one of which is a ground incursion,” retired Maj. Gen. Eitan Ben Eliyahu, a former Israeli Air Force commander, told Defense News. “It is also a structural environment, where each of the buildings might be a death trap for Israeli forces.”