ISRAEL 
HIGH-TECH & INVESTMENT REPORT

from the July 2002 issue


EUROSATORY 2002


Opens a Window to Israel's Defense Industries
Since its inaugural in 1992, EUROSATORY Exhibition that was held in Paris in June, has acquired a great international reputation among the companies involved in the manufacture and trade of land and land-air defense equipment. The previous EUROSATORY exhibition featured more than 20 national pavilions including over 700 exhibitors from 34 countries. It was visited by more than 30,000 visitors from over 100 countries. The current event, Eurosatory 2002, not surprisingly, attracted even greater interest, as terrorist attacks in various parts of the world require new and sophisticated methods to fight the terror.

Since the earliest days of Israel's existence, the country's survival has depended upon close cooperation between the Israel Ministry of Defense, the Israel Defense Forces and the Defense Industry. Even today, as civilians have become the daily targets of various terrorist groups, over 80% of all planned attacks are aborted through sophisticated early warning technologies and intelligence capabilities. Within this category, Israel's broad spectrum of border security solutions, which are being implemented worldwide, comprise everything from passive sensors, to day and night surveillance, electronic fences and cutting edge command and control systems.

It was the Israeli Defense Industries responsibility to design this new system in accordance with the IDF needs and technical specifications. A Border Security System as Defined by the Israel Defense Forces The solution is a combination of addressing the customer's "worst case scenario" in relation to the available budget. The Israeli Defense Industries border security system consists of the following elements: Passive Sensors - deployed at tactical points for early warning. Observation Aerostat - Including day and night surveillance capabilities. Observation Towers - Including Day/Night and Radar surveillance system Hovering observation and surveillance is provided by interface to an unattended aerial vehicle (UAV) which is an integral part of the system Mobile Observation System - Including Day/Night and Radar Surveillance system Electronic Fence- For intrusion detection All the information and data produced by the system is transmitted to the Command & Control Center that provides the required information for the commanders at all command levels. At EUROSATORY 2002 the Merkava Mk-3 was exhibited for only the second time. The newest generation is the Merkava Mk-4. Its features include upgraded performance functions, such as enhanced mobility and ballistic capabilities.

The History of the Merkava Tank
The State of Israel made a historical decision in August 1970 to develop and build a Main Battle Tank. Until that time, Israel could not equip its armored corps with new tanks, due to the continuous embargo, by all nations to sell modern tanks to Israel. The need to introduce modern tanks to the Israeli Army became acute when Israel faced a tremendous build-up of hostile military formations beyond its borders. The opposing armies were equipped with the best weapon systems of that era including modern tanks and anti-tank systems. The decision to develop the Israeli tank named Merkava (Chariot in the biblical language) was essential and inevitable. The Israeli development team led by General Israel Tal, integrated state-of-the-art technology with lessons of war in the concept and the design of the Merkava in all its versions. The first Merkava tanks, Merkava Mk.1, were fielded in April 1979. Those tanks took part in actual operations during the Peace for Galilee War and proved themselves to be more effective than all other tanks in the theatre. The second generation, Merkava Mk.2, was first delivered in 1984. The Third generation, Merkava Mk.3, was introduced in 1990 and became the backbone of the Israeli Armor Corps. An advanced version of Merkava Mk.3, with an improved Fire- Control System was fielded in 1995. The Merkava Mk.4, the fourth generation, has been unveiled. It features upgraded performance throughout all functions, such as enhanced mobility and ballistic protection.


Reprinted from the Israel High-Tech & Investment Report July 2002

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