ARMAMENTS

Israel said Wednesday it has begun testing a massive inflatable missile detection system designed to hover at high altitudes and detect long-range threats, thus deploying a new missile sensor capability.

Developed jointly by Israel’s Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) and the American Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the aerostat is known formally as the High Availability Aerostat System (HAAS) and is, essentially, a blimp tethered to the ground with a long-range radar developed almost entirely from annual Foreign Military Financing funds provided to Israel from the US.

That radar has already concluded testing, and this week’s inflation of the aerostat means the program is on track to declare initial operational capability before the end of the year. The goal is to deploy the first of the HAAS systems in northern Israel in early 2022, so as to cope with the growing threat of Iranian-made cruise missiles and armed drones, and multiple HAAS systems around the country, even though the exact number is classified.

It’s not the first time Israel has experimented with aerostats, but it currently employs only one old system with a basic radar. In comparison, the new system’s radar is designed to detect threats from far distances and supply accurate information on incoming threats, sending that data along to Israel’s defensive options, such as the Iron Dome or David’s Sling systems. 

Currently, Israel relies on a combination of radar systems, including the Green Pine radar of the Arrow air defence systems, an X-band radar deployed by the American army in Israel, and from the Israeli Air Force’s AEW aircraft.

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The prime contractor on the program is ELTA, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries. The company says the HAAS is one of the world’s largest aerostats; it is developed and manufactured by TCOM, an American company specializing in aerostats.

With information from: defensenews.com, breakingdefense.com

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