Updates from Israel's drone industry and regulation
The IDF is rolling out a multi-layered defense against Hezbollah's FPV drones, combining nets and smoke with lasers, microwave weapons and pump-action shotguns, while shifting from frequency detection to AI-powered optical sensing.
The IDF's Technology and Logistics Directorate is setting up a domestic production line for FPV attack drones, a direct response to Hezbollah's growing use of similar weapons against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.
Everything you need to know before flying a drone in Israel: the weight tiers that determine which license you need, the critical difference between a pilot license and a commercial operating permit, and why every commercial flight here requires daily coordination with flight intelligence.
Elbit Systems has unveiled a concept for converting commercial vessels into launch bases for Hermes 650 Spark drones, offering the Israeli Navy a cheap alternative to an aircraft carrier.
The Government Companies Authority is pushing for an Israel Aerospace Industries IPO as early as 2026 at a valuation of up to 100 billion shekels, while the Air Force builds a new drone squadron amid a fivefold rise in flight hours since October 7.
Months before the operation against Iran began, the Mossad smuggled components for hundreds of small drones into Iranian territory. The drones were assembled at a local hideout and positioned near air-defense sites, operating in coordination with hundreds of fighter jets the moment the strikes began.
DDR&D is preparing a tender worth hundreds of millions of shekels for roughly 20,000 Israeli-made military drones, driven by a policy shift away from Chinese suppliers following lessons from the Gaza war.
Hamas operatives used commercial quadcopter drones fitted with improvised explosive charges to disable observation posts and remote-controlled weapons stations along the Gaza border fence, just minutes before the fence was physically breached.
The IDF has revealed that during Operation Guardian of the Walls, it deployed for the first time an AI-coordinated combat drone swarm, which carried out more than 30 operations against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
The FAA has approved Israeli startup Flytrex to expand its drone delivery operation in Fayetteville, North Carolina, allowing flights directly over residents' homes in what is becoming the largest drone delivery operation of its kind in the United States.
Israeli company Percepto is announcing a new North American headquarters, two months after raising $45 million, positioning the American market as a key growth target against local competitors.
Israeli company Percepto is integrating its autonomous industrial monitoring system with Boston Dynamics' four-legged Spot robot, enabling combined deployment of drones and walking robots based on mission needs.
