TEL AVIV — Military sources said the Israel Navy has completed final tests of an unmanned surface vessel (USV) to patrol waters near the Gaza Strip.
The sources aid the Protector USV was ready to enter full service along the coast of
the Gaza Strip.
The Protector, a rigid hull with a length of nine meters, has a maximum
speed of 70 kilometers per hour. The platform has been fitted with a radar
system, cameras and a light mini-Typhoon remote-controlled stabilized
weapons station.
The sources said the Protector would reduce the operation of manned
patrol vessels along the Gaza Strip. Palestinian insurgents have sent
explosive-laden fishing boats to attack Israeli naval vessels off the
Mediterranean coast, Middle East Newsline reported.
The Protector, developed by Rafael, Israel Armament
Development Authority, has already participated in counter-insurgency operations
in the Mediterranean Sea, the sources said. They said the vessel, said to
have a stealth design, underwent nearly six months of trials.
The USV, equipped with four cameras, was said to have a range of 50
kilometers. Rafael has installed a Toplite electro-optical pod capable of
providing a three-dimensional image with a range of 16 kilometers.
The Israel Navy has not formally agreed to purchase the Protector, Rafael
executives said. They said at this point the unmanned vessel was being
deployed by the navy as funding was being sought.
The Protector could also be used as a transport for commandos or an
unmanned attack boat against larger ships, submarines or coastal military
installation. The sources said the Protector could also escort Israeli
civilian vessels.
Rafael executives said that at a later stage the Protector would also
contain sea-to-sea missiles. They said the Protector would be bolstered with
radar to extend its threat-detection range.
"Basically the mission of this type of system is for anti-terror force
protection," said Gadi Katzir, head of naval equipment marketing at Rafael.
"We are trying to protect important places like ships, harbors and oil
rigs."
