The Elta Co., a subsidiary of the government owned Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), has unveiled new radar and airborne intelligence gathering systems, some of which will be displayed at the Paris Air Show next month.
The new automatic missile detection radar (AMDR) is to be used by the Israel Navy’s missile boats to detect low-flying missiles. Other new radar devices can detect extremely low-profile objects at sea, such as the rubber dinghies used by terrorists.
Elta will also put on display in Paris a jeep-mounted radar to detect aircraft. It can be operated by an infantryman after only 15 minutes of instruction.
AN IMPORTANT TECHNICAL ADVANCE
According to Elta spokesmen, the AMDR is an important technical advance because sea-skimming missiles are among the most lethal weapons used against ships. It is difficult to detect them from the air because atmospheric phenomena and other air targets also appear on the radar screens.
Detection from aboard ship is also problematic because the missile must be detected in little over a minute — from the time it appears over the horizon before it hits the ship.
Elta maintains that the AMDR can detect a missile at a range of over 10 kilometers. It will automatically sound an alarm and track the missile, transmitting the information to the command and control station and other electronic warfare personnel.
The press was told that Elta also plans to market additional components of its airborne intelligence gathering system which can be installed in Boeing 707 or 737 aircraft.
The devices are designed to give a picture of the deployment of the enemy’s field forces, their operational status and level of activity. During the last fiscal year IAI’s electronic division exported $197 million worth of equipment, compared with $119 million in 1983/84.
During the past decade the IAI has increased the ratio of its exports to developed countries from seven percent to 70 percent of its output, with the rest going to the developing countries of the third world. It reports a growing acceptance of Israeli-designed and produced sophisticated equipment by other countries making the same type of product.
According to IAI president Shalom Nimrod, the U.S. is the firm’s biggest client, with $33.6 million worth of purchases last year, followed by European countries ($19.6 million); Asia and Africa ($12.3 million) and Latin America (3.3 million.)
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