'We invested more than NIS 100 million ($30 million) in the land-vehicle plant after identifying the huge market potential for manned and unmanned patrol vehicles,' Boaz Levy, IAI’s CEO said.
Upgrades include the ability to knock out threats at higher and lower altitudes, and to strike larger numbers of incoming rockets—a key capability in light of intentions by terror armies to 'saturate' Israel’s air defenses.
Instead of taking tens of minutes for ground forces to share target data with the Israeli Air Force, the process now takes seconds, according to Col. Eli Birenbaum.
Israel Aerospace Industries, Elbit Systems, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems will each be setting up their own displays after receiving permission from the Israeli Defense Export Controls Agency.
'The decision to select SPYDER, developed and produced by Rafael, is a significant vote of confidence in our proven air defense capabilities,' said Ariel Karo.
Israel remains a world leader and innovator in the weapons industry and Forbes listed three Israeli inventions among 'the 12 most important new weapons of the decade.'
The Czech companies are to be involved in 'all parts of the program including design, manufacturing, assembly, integration, testing, and life-time maintenance.'
This major achievement shows what both allies can offer each other through close collaboration, strategic partnership and a shared commitment to mutual security.