Raz, a phased-array radar, has been produced by Israel Aerospace
Industries, and the 160mm Accular, with a circle error of probability of
less than 10 meters, by Israel Military Industries.
The modernization of the Artillery Corps was launched in wake of the
Hizbullah war in Lebanon in 2006. The corps fired nearly 120,000 artillery
shells toward suspected Hizbullah positions without causing significant
damage.
"It was a wake-up call that the job was not being done," the source
said.
As a result, the General Staff approved an upgrade of both platforms and
training to improve firepower accuracy and range. The sources said the plan
was meant to ensure that the corps could destroy enemy targets within 40
kilometers of the Israeli border as well as work with infantry units.
The sources said the corps established a unit called Meitar assigned to
use artillery to destroy major enemy targets, including critical facilities.
They said Meitar, which trains in the Golan Heights along the border with
Syria, was preparing to receive some of the new indigenous weapons produced
by IAI and IMI over the last decade.
A key challenge for the Artillery Corps has been training to support
counter-insurgency warfare, particularly against Hamas and Hizbullah, which
fight from villages and towns. The sources said most of the platforms in the
unit, including the enhanced MLRS, proved ineffective in urban areas. The
Thunder Battalion has been operating the U.S.-origin MLRS, produced by
Lockheed Martin and enhanced by IMI.
The corps has also been procuring advanced cluster bombs from IMI meant
for urban warfare. The sources said the munitions contains a self-destruct
mechanism that would ensure that they could not explode after the end of the
conflict.
Over the last two years, the General Staff has also expanded the
responsibilities of the Artillery Corps. The sources cited the unit's
operation of tactical unmanned aerial vehicles, including the Skylark-1
developed by Elbit Systems. The inauguration of the corp's first UAV unit,
called Sky Rider, took place on Oct. 10.
"We need to be able to hit targets accurately," Chief Artillery Officer
Brig. Gen. David Suissa told the Jerusalem Post. "This is why the Artillery
Corps is progressing to become a force that relies much more on
precision-strike capabilities."