Israel Arms Industry and Defence Research
Formed in 1948, Israel is the Jewish nation amidst an Arab world. The development of a strong economy and arms Industry was a geopolitical necessity. Israel was surrounded by Arab enemies that never accepted its existence. For its survival, Israel used to covertly import weapons from US and France. And now the small country with a population of around 8 million Israel is one of the largest arms exporters to the world. How did Israel achieve this feat?
The 1967 war and after
The six day was a major turning point in the security thinking of the Israeli army, the military advisors now were ensured of the necessity of investing in research and development of military arms and get over the dependence on foreign actors for arms and ammunition. At the time of war, Israel arms industry was at a nascent stage and was mostly dependent on countries like France and US for their weapons needs. But, during the 1967 war, France abruptly changed its policy and imposed an arms embargo.[1] Though Israel came out to be victorious in the war it also learnt the lesson of self-reliance, which has been the driving force for its arms industry up till now.
Being surrounded by enemies it survived the war and now focused on developing its modern army. With the philosophy "It is the fate of our generation that our life requires that we be always prepared and armed, strong and determined, for if the sword be struck from our grasp, we shall die" quoted by one of Israel’s war heroes of the 1967 war General Moshe Dayan Israel developed its defence industry. [2] There is no one unique characteristic that drives Israel’s military development, from neighbouring threats to a culture of military innovation it is the amalgamation of all these characteristics. Also to be noted that US military aid and support have benefited Israel the most.
After the 1967 war, Israel focused on developing its research capabilities and manufacturing facilities. In the first three years after 1967, the military industry quadrupled its output.[3] The period between 1967 and 1972 marked reforms in the military industry and major investment. By 1972, Israel was domestically producing its supersonic cruise missile. In 1975 it unveiled what is commonly known as Kfir C-2, the most sophisticated fighter ever manufactured by a developing country. Israel had also designed own battle tank, known as ‘Merkava’, its chief design components include rapid repair of battle damage, survivability, cost-effectiveness and off-road performance. It introduced its first missile defence system in 1981 called Barak. Hence by the 1980s, Israel has built its defence industry as such that it was able to produce domestically everything that it needed to defend itself.[4]
Israel is now developing more sophisticated and reliable weapons than leading countries like US. For example, the Tavor, the assault rifle developed by Israel Weapons Industries. Israel Weapons Industry founded in 1933 is owned by the Government of Israel and is the leading manufacturer of arms and ammunition and military technology in Israel. Tavor assault rifle developed by IWI replaced US-made M16 assault rifle and M4 carbine variants in the Israel army. Built around a long-stroke piston system (as found in the M1 Garand and AK-47), the Tavor is designed to maximize reliability, durability, simplicity of design, and ease of maintenance, particularly under adverse or battlefield conditions.[5] Tavor is now being exported to every part of the world. Other top innovative weapons that have their origins in Israel are
- Protector USV
Developed by Rafael, it’s a one of a kind armed unmanned boat used for surveillance and protection duties. It only needs two operators working away from the hostile area compared to manned boats which host a crew of at least 6 men. They are used for anti-piracy duties and can be equipped with missiles, sensors and radars for maximum efficiency.
- Deliah Cruise Missile
Deliah Cruise missile is medium range (250km) compact subsonic cruise missile. It weighs just 187 kg which gives it the potential to be launched from F-15/16 (a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft) and even from UH-60 helicopters. It has the speed of Mach 0.3-0.7 and is accurate within 1m error. Its precision, range and lightness make it a lethal weapon.
- ATMOS 2000 Howitzer
The Advanced Truck Mounted howitzer System (ATMOS) is a self-propelled artillery weapon mounted on a 6.6 truck giving it excellent mobility. It is run by a crew of just 4 men and carries on with a high degree of automation. It is integrated with systems from aerial assets like UAVs which give it precision support fire.
- Arrow 3 ABM
Famous for its anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems. Israel has in its name one of the most powerful ABM systems. It is equipped with ‘Green Pine’ radar which has a search and track record of 400km. It can cover altitudes of over 100km and has the rate of intercepting 5 ballistic missiles in just 30 seconds. [6]
Due to continuous missile attacks from covert organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah. Israel needed to develop a strong missile defence system to guard its borders. One other example is of The Iron Dome. In 2010 Israel with financial assistance from the United States developed a technologically superior short-range missile defence system called Iron Dome. Iron Dome is a mobile, all-weather air defence system and has the capability of intercepting up to 1200 rockets.
Not just arms and ammunition, but Israel also has a refined and world-class cyber technology. Israel’s army showcases what a modern army in a true sense looks like. From the much talked about Pegasus the most advanced surveillance tool in the world to cyberweapons like Stuxnet that in 2010 reversed Iran’s nuclear weapons program by 2 years. Israel is changing how modern wars are fought.
Evaluating Israel’s military budget
Israel’s defence spending has increased from 0.19 billion in the 1960s to 20.46 billion in 2019.[7] It now spends 5.26 per cent of its GDP on defence. Situated in a complex geopolitical location defence has been a foremost priority for Israel. The defence budget including Research and development has seen continuous growth over the years. Israel spends 4.5 per cent of its GDP on R&D and 30 per cent of it on military R&D. One–fourth of Israel’s military budget is funded by the United States. US and Israel have very close relations, not only that Israel is US’s largest recipient of financial aid by the US but it also provides support to Israel through diplomatic backing and intelligence sharing. The US supports Israel in almost all international forums. US billionaires like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates also have a considerable investment in the Israeli economy. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has called Israel "the leading, largest and most promising investment hub outside the United States," while Microsoft founder Bill Gates has said that the "innovation going on in Israel is critical to the future of the technology business”.[8]
Top Companies
Three major companies in Israel control the defence market. The Israel Aerospace Industry (IAI) is important aerospace, land, sea and cyber technology Ammunition Company. It fully owned by the Israel defence forces and was founded in 1953 by the then director-general of Israel’s ministry of defence Shimon Peres.[9] Next is ELBIT, It is a public company specializing in the development of land and air systems, ammunition, command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) and cyber systems.[10] Lastly, Rafael is also a top developer in the field. It is fully government-owned and was founded as an R& D laboratory for the Israel Ministry of Defence in 1948. The Company has pioneered advances in defence, cyber and security solutions for air, land, sea, and space.[11] Besides these top companies there are almost 300 other companies and start-ups that are working in the defence industry contributing through innovative solutions and building world-class weapons.
What makes Israel unique?
Israel’s uniqueness lies in its military reforms and the structure through which the country functions. Firstly is the absence of hierarchy in military institutions that is present around the world. Through this absence of hierarchy, the defence institutions ensure the free flow of ideas. After the military training is finished no lower rank needs to address its senior as Sir. Along with this, every citizen of Israel goes through mandatory military training for three years hence they are already equipped with the gaps and requirements of the defence industry. This culture of openness combined with knowledge of the military functioning gives these engineers a definitive edge over other contemporaries and that is what drives Israel’s advances in defence Research and development.These unique systems thereafter become the demand of the world.
Conclusion
Started from a need to defend itself from hostile neighbours, Israel defence industry is now pioneering the development of weapons system. It has not limited itself to traditional weapons but also specializing in cyber weapons and space technology. A country which used to import weapons for defending itself is now exporting it to the world.
Notes
[1] Naaz, Farah (2000), “Israel’s Arms Industry”, Strategic Analysis, IDSA, March 2000, Vol 23-12.URL: https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/olj/sa/sa_00naf01.html#note6
[2] Bowen, Jeremy (2017), “1967 war: Six days that changed the Middle East”, BBC , 5 June 2017 URL:https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39960461
[3] Naaz, Farah (2000), “Israel’s Arms Industry”, Strategic Analysis.
[4] Naaz, Farah (2000), “Israel’s Arms Industry”, Strategic Analysis.
[5] DBpedia, IWI Tavor. URL:https://dbpedia.org/page/IWI_Tavor
[6] N.R.P (2015), “Top 10 Most Powerful Weapons of the Israeli Military”, Defencyclopedia, 30 January 2015. URL:https://defencyclopedia.com/2015/01/30/top-10-most-powerful-weapons-of-the-israeli-military/
[7] World Bank, “ Military expenditure (% of GDP)- Israel”, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). URL:https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS?locations=IL
[8] Prah, M. Pamela(2013), “'Start-up nation' Israel draws U.S. governors”, USA Today, 13 August 2013. URL: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/13/stateline-israeli-technology/2647673/
[9] About Us, Israel Aerospace Industries.URL: https://www.iai.co.il/about
[10] About Us, Elbit. URL:ttps://elbitsystems.com/about-us-introduction/
[11] About Us, Rafael. URL:https://www.rafael.co.il/about/
Yaakov, Katz and Amir Bohbot (2017), “The weapons Wizards”, St Martin’s Press, New York
