Israel Testing Giant New UAV That Shoots Down Ballistic Missiles

I had to read it three times to be sure I wasn't seeing things. The source is usually very good. It would seem Israel is building the worlds largest UAV, and its designed to shoot down Ballistic missiles.

Israel is developing the world's largest unmanned aircraft which will be used for long-range operations and destroying ballistic missiles as they are being launched, a security official said Monday. The Eitan has been developed by the Israel Aircraft Industries and has a wing span of 35 metres (110 feet) -- similar to that of a Boeing 737 passenger plane -- the official told AFP.

According to the Yediot Aharonot daily, the drone was designed for long endurance and high altitude flights and is equipped with an array of advanced cameras and missiles which allow it to identify and intercept long-range missiles as they are being fired on the ground.

It will make its maiden flight in the coming days, the paper said.

More at Spacewar

No one else in the world needs them as badly, other than Iran maybe. Is this the future of missile defense, or just a higher level element of an umbrellas system?

It wont shoot down missiles, it will most likely be a search and destroy system that will hunt down missile launchers and sites.

I just hope this thing flies at very high altitudes (60k or above) or else any 3rd world punk with a few credible SAM's can take down a 250kt 737.

Originally posted by WestPoint23
It wont shoot down missiles, it will most likely be a search and destroy system that will hunt down missile launchers and sites.

I just hope this thing flies at very high altitudes (60k or above) or else any 3rd world punk with a few credible SAM's can take down a 250kt 737.

To be effective in Iran it would have to go higher than 100,000ft if not that then outside of it's 800km kill radius.

Sounds like this thing would have to be launched and sent into a region that MIGHT likely fire missiles, and then shoot the missiles down shortly after they take flight. Or at least that its not intended to shoot them down within Isreal.

Is this thing stealth also?

Originally posted by Malichai
I had to read it three times to be sure I wasn't seeing things. The source is usually very good. It would seem Israel is building the worlds largest UAV, and its designed to shoot down Ballistic missiles.

Israel is developing the world's largest unmanned aircraft which will be used for long-range operations and destroying ballistic missiles as they are being launched, a security official said Monday. The Eitan has been developed by the Israel Aircraft Industries and has a wing span of 35 metres (110 feet) -- similar to that of a Boeing 737 passenger plane -- the official told AFP.

According to the Yediot Aharonot daily, the drone was designed for long endurance and high altitude flights and is equipped with an array of advanced cameras and missiles which allow it to identify and intercept long-range missiles as they are being fired on the ground.

It will make its maiden flight in the coming days, the paper said.

More at Spacewar

No one else in the world needs them as badly, other than Iran maybe. Is this the future of missile defense, or just a higher level element of an umbrellas system?

It sounds fake to me, I mean a UAV that size that only launches missiles at Ballistic Missiles? How does that make sense? I mean missile intercept technology is already out there you can make your position better by upgrading it and having better intelligence and intelligence gathering capabilities by tracking it at launch. You dont need a huge plane to hurl missiles at it. It sounds fake because it doesnt seem to make much sense. What would be the point of sending out a UAV of that size to shoot missiles? UAV that size reduces survivability if it is sent out over foreign airspace. And you can launch missiles perfectly fine from ground interceptors, putting it on the UAV is stupid as it only makes it bulkier for no real appearent reason.

You can the bigger plane is to hit missiles when the launch with its own missiles but you can do that just as well if u sent a UAV or spy satellites that detected the launch. And then sent a interceptor to hit out far away from Israel. But like I said doesnt make much sense to me so I think its exaggerated or fake.

WHAT SIZE!!!!!!! Thats astounding!!!!

We can barely keep a car sized one up...HAHAHAHAHA

thats probably why the british army are buying isreali equipement now

HA HAHAHA

To The Poster Above

Umm...what? Personally I see the size of this Israeli UAV as a sign of how far along their program and technology is. They need something the size of a jumbo jet to achieve long range, persistence and to carry a weapon/sensor payload. Other nations have achieved more with a smaller but more efficient airframe, bigger size in this case is definitely not better.

I know the press is describing it as armed with missiles but I wouldn't be surprised if actually it is an airborne laser design. Lasers can travel much further at higher altitudes. Being unmanned is a big plus.

[edit on 24-1-2007 by planeman]

Essentially, as I understand it, Israel has a relatively tight ABM system that covers their entire country. This system 'extends' their ABM capabilities. Its like building an anti-ballistic missile centre inside of iran.

Originally posted by WestPoint23
Other nations have achieved more with a smaller but more efficient airframe, bigger size in this case is definitely not better.

Im guessing you havent seen or worked with the UK's phoenix. OR the huge contingent of Buster UAV's which have never been used and are just collecting dust in some warehouse.

phoenix...efficient...hahaha.

Though you do have a point...the predator system the italians and the US are using seem pretty good.

And it would seem the isreali's are the most advanced in the UAV field.

I have read and then re-read the original post and the link.

Then I did what every sensible reader of this column does, I went to the source - the Israeli Aerospace Industries and the Israeli Aircraft Industries websites and guess what?

There is no mention of this unmanned arial vehicle project within any of the relevent websites, but several other non-attributable websites trumpet the good news.

Apparently the Eitan - based on the turbo-prop powered Heron II, will probably take to the skies sometime in the near future. With an altitude ceiling of 50,000 feet, Eitan is intended for long-range reconnaissance and can carry weapons payloads of up to 3,960 pounds.

hashmonean.com...

As Nygdan correctly points out, the Israelis have covered their entire country with the Arrow anti-ballistic missile defence system. The Arrow ABMS can reach deep into any country around Israel and therefore I cannot see why Israel would need this type of UAV.

Unless of course, they are providing the USA with overtly deniable unmanned missions against major terrorist leaders throughout the Middle East - a sort of flying Phoenix Project.

The Arrow is useless against short range artillery rockets, like the ones fired by the thousands from Lebanon this past year. The Israelis are currently deciding what system they want in order to address this serious shortfall. The IAF also proved incapable of stopping mobile (pick-up truck) launchers of small rockets. I see this UCAV as having long endurance so it can stay on station and detect/destroy these type of launchers, tightening the kill chain and increasing intelligence.

Also, I highly doubt such a UCAV will be used, or can be used, over Iran, that just seems very improbable.