In a secret laboratory in northern Israel, the Jewish State is preparing for next-generation warfare: thousands of small drones capable of synchronized action, like flocks of birds, observing, following and finally attacking the enemy – without risking the life of friendly forces, Channel 12 reported Thursday night.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems is working on the design and production of drone swarms that can mimic the behavior of flocks of birds such as starlings.
Eric, head of the skimmers division in Rafael, introduced the integrated operation of these weapons:
“We try to imitate nature, whether it’s to fly as a group or to identify targets,” he explained. “You can see how these flyers assemble together,” he added. “It’s enough for me to tell one drone to fly south and the rest would follow.”
In the lab, the drones are adapted to the modern battlefield, which includes urban areas with multiple targets, most of which are hidden inside buildings.
According to the report, Rafael’s small drones are already capable of going out to take over a village or a city, fly low over the streets and hit terrorists, all the time directed by remote control and the enemy has no way to disrupt their operation.
“Not even the sky is the limit,” said Shmuel Olansky, head of innovation at Rafael. “You’re looking at years’ worth of developed capabilities that have been created here – as if they were groomed for today’s challenges.”
