Elbit unveils new defense products at Latrun Conference

Electronics manufacturer unmasks miniature robot, new missile defenses, system for transferring video via satellite while in motion.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
THE MINI-VIPER 311 (photo credit: Elbit)
THE MINI-VIPER 311
(photo credit: Elbit)
Israeli defense electronics manufacturers Elbit Systems unveiled a host of new products at the Latrun Conference this week, including a miniature robot, a new missile defense system, and a system for transferring video footage via satellite while in motion.
The conference, held jointly by the IDF’s Ground Forces Command, the Institute for Land Warfare Studies, the Latrun Museum Association and the Armored Corps Memorial Site, was themed this year as “Fighting in Urban Terrain.”
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The Mini-VIPER model robot weighs around 3.5 kilograms and is equipped with an array of sensors. Small enough to move through tunnels and narrow alleys, it can be thrown into a building through a window and automatically begins scanning its environment.
The robot is designed to protect infantry soldiers from explosives, booby traps and hostile forces lying in ambush, Elbit said on Wednesday.
The company also displayed its Hermes 90 unmanned aerial vehicle, a short-range drone which can hover for an extended period in the air and gather intelligence on targets on the ground.
Other platforms displayed include the EO Shield, which provides 360-degree protection missile defense, and the SOTM satellite communications platform, which allows for “easy” two-way broadband satellite communication and the sending of video footage while moving, Elbit added.
Also on display at the conference were two advanced navigational systems developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), awarded a $30 million contract by the IDF to supply them for the military’s fleet of Merkava tanks and Namer armored personal carriers.
The two systems are the Modular Azimuth Position System and the Advanced Navigation System, which provide position and orientation data, and can be used in a variety of battlefied scenarios such as urban combat zones.
Shaul Shahar, general manager of the division at IAI which is responsible for manufacturing the systems, said the products were part of an “advanced line of successful land navigation systems, and we are proud that the IDF has chosen our systems.”