Ukraine starts using Israeli systems to counter Iranian kamikaze drones used by Russia
While the debate continues in Israel about whether to provide military assistance to the Ukrainians Forces fighting the Russian army, and Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz unequivocally states that there will be no shipments of Israeli weapons to Kyiv, an Israeli anti-drone system has appeared in the arsenal the weapons used by Ukraine, reported the Israeli news website Dossier Debka, citing Ukrainian military sources.
According to the publication, the Ukrainian army has completed the installation on light aircraft and drones of the Israeli advanced interception system Smartshooter. It will be used against Iranian 'kamikaze" drones.
Smartshooter, or "Smash", is a high-tech individual fire control system which uses radar. It is capable of recognizing, tracking, and hitting air and ground targets with unsurpassed accuracy. Operating on the principle of "one shot - one hit", it is using artificial intelligence. The developers of Smartshooter are proud of the fact that it accurately hits the target and never fails.
The Israeli system was first shown this year at a military exhibition in Paris, after which it was successfully tested in Hebron in September. The IDF used it to disperse Arab riots. Loaded with rubber bullets, the Smash fulfilled the task - it shot quickly and accurately. Even then, the developers positioned the Smartshooter as an advanced combat robotic system for engaging, tracking and hitting the target, and noted that it can be installed on various small unmanned aerial vehicles and counter enemy drones.
"The system can work as a stationary installation, but it is also able to function as a drone interceptor," the Smartshooter technical description says. It can strike flying or moving targets, including drones. The system can also be used for other complex combat missions - for example, for patrolling in urban areas, protecting borders, territory and checkpoints, and other things. Lightweight systems can be mounted on cannons, machine guns and rifles."
Earlier, the Israeli newspaper the Times of Israel reported that an Israeli company sold systems for intercepting military drones to Poland. At the same time, according to the publication, the Israeli Ministry of Defense knew that the end user of these anti-drone systems would be Ukraine but decided not to interfere.
It turns out that before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Israeli Defense Ministry issued export licenses to Israeli manufacturing companies that wanted to sell anti-drone systems to Ukraine. But when the war broke out, the licenses were suspended.
According to the official position, Israel does not supply weapons to any of the parties in the war. However, the Times of Israel claims that the delivery of Israeli anti-drone systems to Ukraine still took place. Perhaps, thanks to this, there are more and more reports of successfully downed Shahid-136 drones.