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🇮🇱 Israel /Conflict & Security

Israel Defense Community Rushes to Field Counter-Drone Tech

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Over 200 members of Israel's defense industry met to accelerate the deployment of counter-drone technology.
  • The urgent session was prompted by direct requests from IDF units facing fiber optic and FPV drones in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
  • The event facilitated collaboration between military units, defense officials, and tech companies, leading to immediate procurement discussions.

Israel's defense-tech community convened an urgent, closed-door meeting to fast-track solutions against fiber optic and first-person view (FPV) drones. The session, dubbed "Operation Northern Shield," was organized by The CET Sandbox in response to immediate operational needs from IDF units engaged daily with the threat in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

Bro, I just got back to reserve duty. What do you have against fiber optic suicide drones? Urgent.

· Special ops unit memberDescribing the urgent operational request that spurred the "Operation Northern Shield" meeting.

David Yahid, Co-Founder of The CET Sandbox, highlighted the critical nature of the situation, sharing a message from a special ops unit member requesting urgent solutions against "fiber optic suicide drones." The gathering brought together a wide spectrum of the defense ecosystem, including senior officers from counter-drone units, special operations representatives, MAFAT officials, startups, and major defense contractors like Intel, Elta, and Xtend.

Despite venue capacity limits, over 350 people registered for the event, with many joining a parallel virtual session. Yahid described the event as a "new model for defense innovation," enabling direct collaboration between those facing operational challenges and technology developers. Capabilities were tested in real-time, bypassing lengthy lab evaluations.

Operation Northern Shield reflects a new model for defense innovation, the same shift we're seeing in the US with procurement reform. The people experiencing the operational problem and the people building the technology were sitting at the same table, with capabilities being battle-tested in real time, not in a lab two years from now.

· David YahidExplaining the innovative approach of the defense innovation meeting.

Hezbollah's fiber-optic drones pose a significant threat, being immune to jamming due to their tethered nature and low cost, allowing for mass deployment. During the session, operators shared footage and accounts of encounters, prompting at least one elite unit to initiate immediate procurement discussions and place an order on the spot. Amit Cherniak, CEO of Aquila Dynamics, noted the highly collaborative atmosphere, stating, "Everyone was here to create solutions. Egos were left at the door."

Everyone was here to create solutions. Egos were left at the door.

· Amit CherniakDescribing the collaborative environment at the counter-drone session.
About this summary

Originally published by Jerusalem Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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