Israel unveils a scout drone capable of providing valuable information in urban combat

Imagine the scene: an unknown number of attackers are holed up in a building, with several civilians taken hostage. Armed forces take up positions outside, ignoring the place and, of course, the identity of the madmen. Critical situation, little information available... An urban combat scene synonymous with operational nightmare.

It is by reflecting on these scenarios that Rafael, the Israeli military technology authority, has developed an autonomous drone system, capable of acting as a real scout inside buildings. Designed with the artificial intelligence company Anyvision, specialized in facial recognition, this system has the significant advantage of collecting a maximum of information without human intervention. By evolving inside, the drone is able to provide in real time the topography of the places and the exact position of the occupants. Better, it will eventually be able to identify the latter, know whether they are armed or not and help differentiate between innocent civilians and combatants.

Read also — The Ministry of the Armed Forces called on science fiction authors to anticipate future threats, here are two of their scenarios

Last week, Rafael made a presentation of his system, accompanied by one of Ghost Robotics' famous robot-dogs — which are already used for patrols in Florida.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEUPCyIGAYU[/embed]

It will not have escaped the ears warned that the drone is somewhat noisy. A component that would ruin the effect of surprise while offering a prime target to the opponent. The director of Rafael's innovation programs center, Shmuel Olanski, wanted to reassure on this point. "In the demonstrations we organized for different customers, we were faced with different preferences. Some customers are looking for a quiet flight, and we will be able to provide it to them, and there are those who want the drone to make noise and scare the occupants to leave the premises," he told the specialized website Calcalist.

The drones developed by Rafael, with an autonomy of 15 minutes, can interfere in a building through any opening and evolve in total darkness. Their sensor paraphernalia allows them to avoid the various obstacles inside.

Rafael's ultimate goal would be to be able to completely dispense with soldiers for this type of close combat operation. A prospect that would delight more than one staff.

Read also — 5 promising technological innovations carried by the French army

Get our latest news