IDF issues tender for 5,000 Israeli-made attack drones

Did the Israeli Defense Army know the lessons of wars in Ukraine and Syria in which FPV (the first person's offer) changed the drone attack on the face of the campaigns? The Ministry of Defense for Production and Procurement is currently publishing the conditions for giving to buy 5,000 unmanned aircraft from Israeli companies, which are usually used in drones. But in the war, these drones can be pressed through the narrow opening of a carrier or armored tank, or they collide with a strict and deadly in a group of soldiers in an ambush, or they flourish on the tail of a drone. FPV drones carry much lower than explosives of drones, but the ability to quickly collapse in weapons or fuel warehouses can increase side damage for several times.

Unlike the standard drones used by the Israeli Defense Army today, which have been manufactured by companies such as DJI or Autel in China, the FPV drone cannot stay in the air for a long time, and do not have self -rule, but are fully controlled by the pilot, who must be skilled with remote control of drones, which can easily collide on the ground, if it is to fly. Therefore, learning skills and long hours of training are needed, which includes increasing costs and increasing selectivity in the number of soldiers who can run them.

Giving can expand

The estimated price of the FPV drone is less than a self -ruling drone, up to 10,000 NIS each at most, but the Ministry of Defense can choose the cheapest alternative, which is the drone that costs 3000 NIS. In such a case, the tender is expected to cost the Ministry of Defense not more than 35 million NA, but it may be expanded to 10,000 drones, and allowing the entry of a second resource, and thus the cost may rise to more than 70 million. The upper numbers in the drone industry depend on the expansion of the tender to 20,000 drones in the long run.

Globes said last year that the tender will be released in August. However, the nature of the tender has changed, and it will now focus on the attack drones only. According to the specifications sent to suppliers, this is a small number of drones. Giving requires immediate purchase of 5,000 drones, which experts say is insufficient. For comparison, Ukraine manufactured 2.2 million FPV aircraft last year.

Others also warn in the drone industry of the issue of security information in the tender, given that the required components are analog, and can be easily penetrated and located by enemy forces. For example, the detailed video transmission device is manufactured by the Chinese company Blacksheep team in Hong Kong.

The industry was surprised by the unusually detailed requirements for purchasing management to include the elements made by some companies, not to mention a company from China. The Ministry of Defense opposed this step, after encouraging the development of the infrastructure for digital communications for drones. It seems that the cost considerations behind the request of Chinese equipment, although Israeli companies know how to provide an alternative contact solution, with a difference in the price of dozens of dollars per unit.

Bats opposite the rooster

To date, about 25 Israeli drones who work with the Ministry of Defense, including Xten, Robotican, Tehiru, CopterPix and Dronix. The preferred candidate to win The Tender is the Beth Tikva -based Dronix attack. The striker, who is drone from four blades, can fly up to 5 km or up to 15 minutes, with a heat camera load and an explosive charge of up to 2.7 kg.

Another favorite is Xtend from Ramat HAHAHAL in Tel Aviv who has already equipped the Israeli Defense Army and the American Pentagon with Scorpio Attack. Xten achieved this achievement by becoming the first company in the United States to obtain approval to operate an armed suicide drone. The company has a current training and feasibility system to reduce the training time for the drone pilot – from months to a few hours. However, the victory in the Israeli tender will require the removal of the infrastructure of the safe digital communications communications that it has developed and the installation of analog communications instead, based on the Chinese equipment requested by the Ministry of Defense.

Another company that holds the tender is Tehiru, which made two proposals; One taking into account the analog communications dictated by the tender, and the other with cryptocurrency in Israeli coordination. Another Israeli plane in this category is the Robotican document to Omer. The drone can carry 300 grams of goods and hover for up to 12 minutes a time, and Sapir also intends to compete by reducing the classification of the advanced drone, VIPER 300, which can fly 5 kilometers and stay in the air for 20 minutes, to meet the terms of the tender.

Giving requires companies to provide drones, but also travel bags, ground stations, training, services, maintenance, and create a local production and assembly line. Some Israeli companies, such as Xten and Dronix, already have such facilities. The deadline for bidding was last week, and the suppliers conference was supposed to be held for 25 presentations on Monday this week, but it was postponed for an unknown reason.

There was no response from the Ministry of Defense and any of the offers.

It was published by Globes, Israel Business News – En.globes.co.il – on March 11, 2025.

© Copy Publish Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. , 2025.