Elbit has Developed an Augmented Reality Helmet for Tank Commanders

Elbit will unveil next week at Eurosatory the IronVision, the first Helmet Mounted Display (HMS) designed for crewmembers of combat vehicles. Part of the company’s See-Through Armor (STA) architecture, IronVision is a 360-degree panoramic situational awareness system that enables tank and infantry crewmen to ‘see-through’ their vehicle’s armor in real-time, creating a complete and clear visualization of the battlefield, even under close hatches.

IronVision’s 360-degree, high-resolution imagery is projected in full color and zero latency to the wearer’s visor, offering a bright and vivid display of the surroundings in both day and night and all types of weather.

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Israel Claims to Have Successfully Tested Iron Dome From a Ship

Israel claimed Wednesday that it successfully intercepted a test salvo of shore-launched short-range rockets with a new sea-based version of the Iron Dome.

Col. Ariel Shir, the Israel Navy’s head of combat systems development, said the live fire test was conducted two weeks ago using the Adir radar developed by Israel Aerospace Industries/Elta and the Rafael-developed Iron Dome, both of which were integrated aboard the service’s INS Lahav Sa’ar-5 corvette-class surface vessel.

“I can say all the threats shot toward our assets were targeted by the Adir radar — one of the most advanced naval radars that exists today — and interception was accomplished by Iron Dome,” Shir told reporters Wednesday.

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US Army's Multi Mission Launcher Test Fired Missile From Israeli Iron Dome System

The Israeli Iron Dome missile system completed a successful test firing in the USA. The US Army completed a successful test of Tamir interceptor missile from the new Multi Mission Launcher (MML) developed under a US Army initiative. During the test the missile scored a hit at the target drone. RAFAEL and Raytheon plan to continue adapting the Iron Dome and Tamir interceptor missile to meet the requirements of the Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC).

Prior to the test RAFAEL and its US partner Raytheon made the necessary adaptations to fit the Tamir missile with the Army experimental launcher. According to Lt. Col. Michael Fitzgerald, IFPC Inc 2-I Product Manager, the test was part of the US Army evaluation of different alternative effectors – both domestic and international, and their use with the Army’s new MML.

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some more photos.

Was There a Clash Between Russian and Israeli Aircraft

Several Israeli media outlets said that Russian forces in Syria have fired at least twice on Israeli military aircraft in the last weeks.

Although no specific dates or locations for the incidents were given, it looks like these close encounters occurred as Israeli Air Force jets hit Syria to prevent suspected arms handovers to Hezbollah.

According to Reuters, Israel’s Channel 10 TV said a Russian jet approached an Israeli warplane off the Mediterranean coast of Syria last week even though there was no contact between them.

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Israel Details its Unmanned, Robopocalyptic Military Plans

Israel’s Ministry of Defense is eyeing new autonomous operating concepts and a spectrum of unmanned air, ground and sea systems, several of which could become functional within a decade.

In a rare public presentation earlier this month, Brig. Gen. Nir Halamish, head of the military research and development unit of the Ministry’s MAFAT Research and Development Bureau, outlined Israel’s unmanned vehicles blueprint through 2025.

Speaking at a conference of Israel Defense and the local chapter of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, Halamish cited MoD’s interest in unmanned flight, unmanned surface ships and autonomous underwater systems for countering mines.

He said MoD started a five-year program to advance civilian unmanned gliders for military missions, insisting the ministry and local industrial partners do not intend to “reinvent the wheel,” but rather are focusing on injecting military-grade robustness for maneuvering forces.

In the realm of ground vehicles, he noted that Israel is the only country in the world to deploy unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) for persistent, around-the-clock border control missions. The experience Israel has accumulated with UGVs operating at its border with Gaza will be replicated in other areas.

“These [UGVs] are the first at any event, which prevents our soldiers from coming into contact with the enemy at the outset,” he said.

Knowledge gained from unmanned border patrol missions will eventually be expanded to a point where UGVs will be part and parcel of maneuvering ground forces. Halamish cited.

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Argentina to Procure 14 Kfir Fighters

The joint proposal by Argentina and Israel raises the transfer, refurbishment and modernization of 14 aircraft Kfir (2 seater training and 12 monopostos), some of them equipped with active electronically scanned radar (AESA, by its acronym in English), system data Link for sharing information between units of the fleet and the full fleet maintenance for five years; an operation that materialize would reach about 320 million.

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Israel Converting Merkava 2 Tanks to Command, Logistics and Ambulance Vehicles

Superseded in frontline service by both the Merkava Mk 3 and Mk 4 variants, the Mk 2s that were produced in the 1980s have been held in reserve for years, but the IDF says it will cease training personnel to operate the tanks in the coming months.

The IDF says the retired tanks will be converted into battlefield logistics carriers, casualty evacuation, and command post vehicles. The IDF has already produced one prototype for the logistics role and a second is currently being produced for casualty evacuation. The Armored Corps is looking at additional possible roles and has not completed its decision-making process. The IDF declined to say how many Merkavas will ultimately be converted.

The Merkava Mk 2 conversion programme "came from the understanding that we can and should convert the purpose of old platforms for other needs. This both serves the needs of soldiers and saves on expenses," it said.

The platform is the latest in a series of attempts by Israel's defence establishment to create better-protected APCs to replace its fleet of thousands of M113 vehicles, which have been in service since the 1970s.

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Israel Requests Another Squadron of F-15s

An additional squadron of advanced Boeing F-15s has been revealed as one of the elements of a so-called "compensation package" requested by Israel in exchange for the US government backing a lifting of sanctions against Iran.

Israeli sources confirm that details of the request were agreed during a recent meeting between the defence ministers of the USA and Israel in Washington DC. This included the Israeli air force expressing its operational need for another squadron of F-15s, to ensure that the type can remain the "backbone" of its capabilities.

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Israel has Started Building 8 Wheeled Eitan Infantry Fighting Vehicle Prototype

Israel’s Tank Production Authority is producing its first prototype of Eitan, an eight-wheel-drive armored fighting vehicle designed to weigh nearly half as much as the new Namer heavy carriers.

The locally developed Eitan — Hebrew for steadfast — will be deployed alongside new Namers and will replace old M113s that still support the bulk of Israeli infantry.

Sources here said it will weigh no more than 35 tons and will incorporate a new generation of active protection, an advanced turret and a full complement of munitions and sensors.

Field demonstrations are slated by the end of next year, with initial serial production expected to begin by 2020.

“It will be a lot lighter [than Namer] and will be designed to cost,” said Maj. Gen. Guy Zur, commander of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Ground Forces Command. “It may be less good [than the Namer], but it will be affordable and allow us to equip a large part of our force.”

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Israel Shows off Iron Beam C-RAM Laser Weapon

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems showcased its Iron Beam high-energy laser (HEL) system at the Seoul International Aerospace and Defence Exhibition (ADEX) 2015.

The short-range counter rocket artillery and mortar (C-RAM) and counter unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAV) system was the centrepiece system for the Israeli manufacturer at the event running from 20 to 25 October.

First unveiled at the Singapore Airshow in 2014, Iron Beam is a mobile ground-based system that comprises an air defence radar, a command and control (C2) unit, and two HEL systems. The system can be configured in ISO shipping containers for mounting in a stationary location or on a truck or armoured vehicle, depending on the customer's requirements.

As previously described to IHS Jane's , the air defence radar first acquires the incoming round or UAV before a thermal camera takes over the tracking ahead of it being engaged simultaneously by two HELs.

According to Rafael, the lasers focus their beams into an area 'about the size of a coin', destroying the target out to a range of about 2 km. The company has declined to divulge specific power levels for the HELs, except to say that they are currently working with "tens of kilowatts", but expects to move into the "hundreds of kilowatts" in the future. Rafael does not produce the lasers itself, but sources them from several unnamed suppliers.

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India Spending $400M for 10 Israeli Missile Armed Heron UCAVs

The Indian government recently approved a plan to procure ten new missile-armed drones from Israel. “The $400-million proposal for buying armed Heron TP drones from Israel was cleared last week,” The Economic Times reported.

These new drones will be operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF), which already has a large fleet of Searcher and Heron I reconnaissance drones. Both are produced by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI). The IAF also has a fleet of Harpy UAVs from Israel – designed as loitering radar-supression weapons. In addition,India operates the HAROP, a spin-off variant of the loitering weapon, designed to attack other surface targets. (Both Harpy and Harop are also made by IAI).

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Claims of an Airstrike by an Israeli Drone

Local media reports claim that Israel conducted another "phantom attack" on the Syrian Golan Heights on 29 July, killing three militants from the Popular Resistance Committees, a group loyal to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

The Hezbollah-owned Al-Manar news channel says that an armed Israeli unmanned air vehicle conducted the attack on the edge of the village of Hader, on the outskirts of Quneitra. Syrian and Lebanese media reports say the target was a car that was being used by the militants.

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Jerusalem Getting its own TransAmerica Pyramid?

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(why I say the above...)

hmm.  Pharaoh would be pleased.

Last Glacial Climatic Impacts on Neanderthal Gazelle Hunting in Israel

Isotopic evidence for Last Glacial climatic impacts on Neanderthal gazelle hunting territories at Amud Cave, Israel

Authors:

Hartman et al

Abstract:

The Middle Paleolithic site of Amud Cave, Israel, was occupied by Neanderthals at two different time periods, evidenced by two chronologically and stratigraphically distinct depositional sub-units (B4 and B2/B1) during MIS 4 and MIS 3, respectively. The composition of both hunted large fauna and naturally-deposited micromammalian taxa is stable at the site over time, despite a ∼10 ky gap between the two occupation phases. However, while gazelle is the most ubiquitous hunted species throughout the occupation, isotopic analysis showed that there is a marked change in Neanderthal hunting ranges between the early (B4) and late (B2/B1) phases. Hunting ranges were reconstructed by comparing oxygen, carbon, and strontium isotopes from gazelle tooth enamel with modern isotope data from the Amud Cave region. This region is characterized by extensive topographic, lithological, and pedological heterogeneity. During the early occupation phase negative oxygen isotope values, low radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr ratios, and low Sr concentrations reveal restricted gazelle hunting in the high elevations west of Amud Cave. In the late occupation phase, hunting ranges became more diverse, but concentrate at low elevations closer to the site. Climatic proxies indicate that conditions were drier in the early occupation phase, which may have pushed gazelle populations into higher, more productive foraging areas. This study showed that Neanderthals adjusted their hunting territories considerably in relation to varying environmental conditions over the course of occupation in Amud Cave. It highlights the utility of multiple isotope analysis in enhancing the resolution of behavioral interpretations based on faunal remains and in reconstructing past hunting behaviors of Paleolithic hominins.

55,000 Year Old Modern Human Found in Pleistocene Quaternary Levant With Occiptal Bun

The discovery of a 55,000-year-old partial skull in Northern Israel provides new insights into the migration of modern humans out of Africa. The rare find is reported in the journal Nature this week by an international team of Israeli, North American and European researchers.

A key event in human evolution was the expansion of modern humans of African origin across Eurasia, replacing all other forms of hominin (humans and their predecessors), around 40,000-60,000 years ago. However, due to the scarcity of human fossils from this period, these ancestors of all present-day non-African modern populations have largely remained a mystery.

Now, researchers describe a partial skull that dates to around 55,000, which was found at Manot Cave in Israel's Western Galilee. The Manot Cave was discovered in 2008 during construction activities that damaged its roof. Rock falls and active stalagmites had apparently blocked the initial entrance to the cave for at least 15,000 years. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Cave Research Center conducted an initial survey of the cave and reported the findings of archaeological remains.

Prof. Israel Hershkovitz of Tel Aviv University led the anthropological study of the skull, and led the excavation together with archaeologists Dr. Ofer Marder of Ben-Gurion University, and Dr. Omry Barzilai of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The skull has a distinctive "bun"-shaped occipital region at the back. In this way its shape resembles modern African and European skulls, but differs from other anatomically modern humans from the Levant. This suggests that the Manot people could be closely related to the first modern humans that later colonized Europe.

The specimen also provides evidence that both modern humans and Neanderthals inhabited the southern Levant during the late Pleistocene, close in time to the likely interbreeding event between modern humans and Neanderthals.

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I actually have an occipital bun.  IIRC, my father did too.  However, my son appears not to.  Though, honestly, I wonder if its something which gets emphasized as men get older (I am given to understand the bun shows up in men more than women).  Once upon a time, Lyudmila exploring my skull, just tracing and feeling.  And, truth be told, it unnerved her a bit: not only do I have the bun and what I call the 'german brow,' I have a bony crest (very modest) at the top of my head. It seemed odd to her a bit: the men she'd dated before had very smooth feeling skulls, without the ridges and bun.    That fit with what I saw in Ukraine.  I've met Ukrainians and Russians before, but when I went to Kiev the first time, it struck me how differently men's heads were shaped.  At the time, I noticed the forehead and jaw.

Evidence from Paleolithic (Pleistocene Quaternary) Manot Cave, Israel of Heat Treating Stone Tools

Heating of flint debitage from Upper Palaeolithic contexts at Manot Cave, Israel: changes in atomic organization due to heating using infrared spectroscopy

Authors:

Weiner et al

Abstract:

The heat treatment of flint is known to change its mechanical properties and improve its fracture behaviour during knapping. Here we examine 20 flint artifacts from Upper Paleolithic contexts from Manot Cave, Israel, using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and compare them to geogenic flint beds from the walls inside the cave and from outcrops just above the cave. We show that the 512 and 467 cm−1 peaks are broader in most of the flint debitage pieces as compared to the geogenic flint, and that broadening of these peaks occurs when geogenic flint from the cave wall is heated. We also present an empirical simple method to monitor these changes.

Israeli Military Seeking 'Personal UAVs'

Israel's military is preparing to issue a request for information (RFI) for a so-called "personal UAS" for use by infantry soldiers.

The operational requirement for such an unmanned air system stems from the framework of the Israel Defence Forces' (IDF) "Digital Army" programme. This envisions an infantry soldier being equipped with navigation and communication systems that will make the individual part of a wide array of systems that create a "big picture", but which at the same time allow the lone soldier to affect the battlefield.

Sources indicate the pending request will focus on a 1-1.5kg (2.2-3.3lb) UAS with an endurance of 15min, carrying a day or night payload. The aim is to enable a low unit price, mainly by mass production.

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They ought to look at a the Black Hornet UAV.  Far, far smaller than 1 to 1.5 kg and has 15 minutes worth of flight time.

Israel Still Planning on 50 F-35s Despite Procurement Setback

The Israeli defence establishment is still determined to acquire 50 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighters, despite a recent decision by a ministerial committee to reduce the second order to 14 aircraft, defence sources have told IHS Jane's .

The ministerial committee for military acquisitions approved the purchase of 14 F-35s instead of the 31 recommended by Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon. Together with the 19 that are already on order, the 31 aircraft would allow the Israeli Air Force to form two squadrons with 25 F-35s.

The setback to this plan is a temporary one, defence sources say, as Israel will seek to complete the original acquisition plan by ordering an additional 17 F-35s in 2017, bringing the total number of procured jets up to 50.

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US Army Buying Israeli Iron Dome Missile Defense System for Testing

Israel had been struggling to sell the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system abroad, but the Israel Defense website revealed on Sunday that a major purchaser has been found: the United States.

Apparently the US Army will acquire one Iron Dome battery, and based on tests it will conduct on the system decide whether or not to purchase more units of the Israeli defense system that reportedly boasted a 90% hit rate in Operation Protective Edge.

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Israel Cancelled V-22 Order?

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon has canceled a still-unsigned multi-billion-dollar deal with the US for advanced military capabilities, amid strained ties with Washington.

The deal includes six V-22 aircraft, which the US has not released to any other country.

The decision, first reported by Israel Hayom and coming a week after Ya’alon was reportedly shunned by official Washington during a visit to the US, drew no comment from the Defense Ministry or the IDF.

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