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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Israel-Hamas War: The Israeli drones keeping the IDF safe in Gaza |
| 2023-12-23 |
| [Jpost] An IDF soldier holds in the air what looks like a large model airplane attached to a giant string. He pulls it back, bending backward so the model airplane is tilted slightly upward toward the sky. Then he releases the plane and it flies off, its propeller making only a slight noise. The model airplane is actually an unmanned aerial system, a drone. We are standing in a field near Gaza. The sound of artillery and other weapons can be heard in the distance. The war in Gaza is in its third month. Several soldiers are walking around. There are other drones to be launched. These types of drones are called Skylarks in English and they are made by Elbit Systems. These small unmanned aircraft can be easily stowed in a car, several at a time. They can be built [assembled] anywhere. They have two cameras — one for daytime electro-optics and another infrared one for nighttime. The soldiers describe the Skylark as a relatively simple machine but with a lot of complex systems behind it. This represents one level in the use of unmanned systems, such as various types of drones, being used over Gaza. The IDF calls the unit that flies these drones Sky Rider. "Sky Rider teams join infantry forces, including special forces and reconnaissance battalions, and assist them in maneuvering safely by acting as their ’eyes in the sky.’ The teams are trained to fly UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) that give the forces an aerial overview of their surroundings. Both male and female soldiers serve in the unit and complete identical training," the IDF said about the unit in October. ...Israel uses a plethora of drones, from the larger Herons made by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to the Elbit Hermes 450, known as the Zik. Israel uses larger drones to carry out airstrikes, which have become more common in the last year, including in the West Bank and now in Gaza. ISRAEL ALSO uses new, smaller types of drones, called loitering munitions, that carry a warhead and fly into targets. These are called Maoz in Hebrew and are used in Gaza. The Skylark is something in between types like the swarming Thor drones or the various quadcopters and the larger drones that are more like aircraft. The Skylark is meant for battalion-level operations. Skylarks are used to collect intelligence, soaring over the battlefield from where they can see in front of infantry or tanks. This can help the artillery, or what are called fire brigade units, to coordinate fire against targets. Israel has a fire brigade, the 282nd, that is linked to the 36th Division, but backs up other units in Gaza as well. The Sky Rider Unit is actually part of the 215th Artillery, which has M109 howitzers and has been supporting the 162nd Division operations in northern Gaza. ...One example of how the Sky Rider Unit helps save lives and protect forces in Gaza came early on in the fighting inside Gaza. A unit of Golani, an infantry brigade that uses Namer armored personnel carriers, was inside Gaza fighting terrorists. "We were up in the air and collecting intelligence and keeping them [the soldiers] safe and watching them, and then all of a sudden we saw them being targeted by anti-tank missiles," recounts Romi. There was also small arms fire used by terrorists targeting the troops. The enemy was trying to overwhelm and ambush the armored vehicles with soldiers in them. "As their only eyes, we could help them and tell them where they [the terrorists] are coming from and where to shoot," she explains. This is important because soldiers inside an APC [armored personnel carrier] can’t easily get out of the vehicle under fire. The Sky Riders helped direct artillery to strike precisely and close to the Golani troops and their vehicles. "This was a mission that my team really felt [embodied] our whole purpose...We prevented a battalion from being killed." |
| Posted by:Grom the Reflective |