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The Israeli Defense Ministry has set up a new research unit to focus on artificial intelligence and autonomy while also ramping up production of Arrow-3 missile interceptors.
The new AI research operation falls under the Directorate of Defense Research & Development, also known as Mafat, the ministry said Jan. 1. The goal is to “centralize and advance AI and autonomous capabilities within Israel's defense establishment,” Mafat added.
“Our future battlefield will see integrated teams of soldiers and autonomous systems working in concert,” said reserve Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the ministry’s director general. “The capabilities we develop will enhance our operational superiority while reducing casualties, increasing operational tempo, and optimizing resource utilization,” he noted.
The unit is supposed to support all military branches and work with academia, startups and established defense companies.
“Building on years of successful research and development collaboration with the IDF, this administration will unite stakeholders from researchers to operators under one roof,” Mafat Head Daniel Gold said in a statement.
The move comes days after Mafat signed an agreement with Israel Aerospace Industries to ramp up production of Arrow-3 missile interceptors. The contract comes after Israel has expended several of the interceptors to defeat ballistic missile threats launched against the country from, for instance, Iran and the Houthis in Yemen. The first operational use of Arrow-3 took place Nov. 9, 2023.
“During the current war, the Arrow system successfully intercepted numerous threats with exceptionally high success rates, demonstrating unprecedented performance on a global scale against Iranian missile attacks both on April 14, 2024, and Oct. 1, 2024,” Mafat said.
The government did not disclose the number of missiles it is buying, saying only that the contract is “valued at billions of shekels.”
Separately, Mafat said it has closed around $40 million in contracts with small and medium-sized drone companies. Among the acquisitions, it said, were multiple drone models from various suppliers, including an interceptor drone from Airobotics.
Israel has significantly ramped up the use of small drones since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the country by Hamas that has spurred wider fighting.
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