TEL AVIV — The Israel Army is procuring more unmanned ground
vehicles for combat missions in border areas.
The Ground Forces Command has purchased ast least four UGVs for combat
missions along the Gaza Strip and Israeli border with Lebanon. The platforms
were identified as G-Nius, developed and produced by Israel's Elbit Systems, Middle East Newsline reported.
"We don't need manned patrols along the border," Elbit Systems president
Joseph Ackerman said. "We could use UGVs."
[On Aug. 5, the Israel Air Force announced the deployment of the Sniper
electro-optic reconnaissance system. Sniper, developed in Israel by several
defense contractors, was said to enable air defense operators to track
fighter-jets at a distance of more than 70 kilometers.]
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Ackerman said the army has been testing four G-Nius platforms in
missions along the borders with the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. He said the army
could procure additional platforms, also known as Guardium.
The four-wheeled G-Nius platform, priced at $600,000, was designed to
carry a payload of at least 300 kilograms. This could include a remote
machine gun to battle insurgents and infiltrators.
The unmanned vehicle, equipped with night-vision, sensors and cameras,
was said to be capable of autonomous pre-programmed missions. Executives
said an operator could control the vehicle with a joystick, a virtual
steering wheel as well as gas and brake pedals.
