High tech industry provides Israel's IDF with technological boost

Throughout the 10 months of the war, the IDF and Ministry of Defense have recorded a range of achievements on the battlefield, including by being equipped with advanced technologies.

Since October 7, the Ministry of Defense Directorate of Defense, Research and Development (DDR&D) (MAFAT) has procured an array of products from more than 100 startups operating in both the defense and commercial markets. People familiar with the subject have told “Globes” that some of them have signed contracts with the Ministry of Defense worth more than NIS 20 million each, and the overall amount of deals amounts to about NIS 1 billion.

A Demo Day was recently held for startups that graduated from the DDR&D accelerator, in the presence of Defense Ministry director general Major General (res.) Eyal Zamir and the head of DDR&D Brigadier General (res.) Dr. Danny Gold.

Zamir said, “This is a complex period, some of the challenges we foresaw and some we didn’t. We see what is happening in the world, in Bab-al-Mandeb, in Ukraine. There is entrepreneurship and we are here to help it. Led by DDR&D, we encourage initiative and risk-taking, and we invest a lot in this. We work on sensors, the world of computing and networks, energy and space. These things bring great defense value and present us with a technological advantage. Our role is to help startups from the initial stages of the product — until it becomes an operational product.”

Gold added that the State of Israel is fighting with varying intensity on a range of sectors: from Gaza and Lebanon to Iraq, Iran, Syria and Yemen. “We have brought startup companies into the field. We leverage international and bilateral collaborations and see growth in the sector,” he said.

The event was also attended by Col. Nir Weingold, head of the planning, economics and IT department at DDR&D. He observed that state investments worldwide in the field of security are increasing: “SIPRI research found that investments reached $2.4 trillion over the past year. Europe is preparing for a confrontation with Russia in the next decade, so they are looking for technologies that can be found in startups.”

An Israeli anti missile system intercept drones fired from Lebanon over the Upper Galilee, on August 10, 2024. (credit: AYAL MARGOLIN/FLASH90)

“Globes” looks at five of the main startups with which the Ministry of Defense has been collaborating since the outbreak of the war: Smartshooter, Xtend, Regulus, CopterPIX and Robotican.

Smartshooter

One of the companies that has had its growth nurtured by DDR&D is Smartshooter from Kibbutz Yagur. Among other things, the company has developed Smash (Dragon) sight fire control systems, which can hit ground and aerial targets such as UAVs, and help the combat soldiers who operate them to identify targets independently and hit them accurately. With the help of AI and algorithms, the sight follows the target and adjusts the rate of fire for a swift and accurate hit.

The company’s success has attracted international customers. The UK purchased 500 C-UAS sights from it to be mounted on guns in service with the British army.

Smartshooter also recently unveiled a new remote control weapon system called the Hopper, which weighs about 15 kilograms, and is intended for installation on manned and unmanned vehicles, as well as aerial and marine platforms.

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Xtend

Based in Tel Aviv, Xtend manufactures assault and surveillance drones. In 2024, the company was selected for Globes’ list of Israel’s 10 promising startups.

Among other things, the company operates a control interface based on a joystick and reality glasses that transmits the perspective of the drone to the operator. The company’s operating system allows operators to choose a certain point on the map to which the drone will be dispatched, and to which it will fly independently. Xtend’s drones csn also assist in various missions such as dropping grenades, scanning tunnels or crashing to thwart terrorists. These measures assist the IDF forces in fighting in densely populated urban areas in the Gaza Strip. In May, the company completed a $40 million Series B financing round.

Regulus

Regulus develops cybersecurity solutions for satellite navigation systems (GNSS/GPS). A few months before the outbreak of the war in Gaza, the company launched the Ring ARM-V system designed to protect armored vehicles from drone attacks. The system can work at low power and provides protection at a distance of 150-1,000 meters, or at high power for protection of 1,000-5,000 meters.

CopterPIX

CopterPIX products are used by security forces in war for surveillance missions in difficult navigation conditions. The company develops autonomous solutions and applications using UAVs.

The company has won the prestigious innovation award at the Milipol exhibition in Paris, following the development of an autonomous security and patrol system based on tiny microdrones below the aviation regulation threshold.

Robotican

Based in Omer near Beersheva, drone company Robotican has developed a variety of autonomous robotic products, including the Goshawk: an autonomous drone designed to capture UAVs in a net instead of intercepting them. The development is mainly intended for an urban environment, where there is a fear of falling shrapnel and for gathering intelligence on the enemy. Another tool the company has developed is the rooster: a drone that is protected by a hard, durable and elastic cage that allows it to collide and roll on the ground, hit windows and other elements without being damaged, during warfare in densely populated built-up areas.

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