Israel’s Defence Ministry Announces Completion of Tech Integration into New Spy Plane
On Sunday, the completion of a two-year project by Israel’s Defense Ministry and the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) was announced. The project involved equipping an aircraft with state-of-the-art intelligence gathering technology, and test flights have already commenced.
The spy plane, known as ORON, is a Gulfstream G550 Aerospace equipped with state-of-the-art sensors, cameras, artificial intelligence and advanced command, control, communications, computer and intelligence (C4I) systems.
Israeli officials first presented the plane at the Paris Air Show in June. It operates at an altitude of up to 40,000-50,000 feet and has a flight radius of 1,000 km.
The ministry said ORON’s real-time surveillance capabilities provide more intelligence than unmanned aerial vehicles.
It took two years to install the technology on the plane, the ministry said.
According to the Ministry of Defense, test flights have already started with the joint efforts of the Ministry’s Defense Research and Development Department (DDR&D), the Israel Defense Forces and the IAI.
ORON is operated by the Israeli Air Force’s “Nachshon” 122nd Squadron from Nevatim Air Base near Beer Sheva.
“ORON is a joint multi-domain, multi-sensor solution that provides the IDF with a game-changing capability to counter threats far and near,” said the aircraft’s commander, Lt. Col. Yoed.
The system’s ability to accurately track multiple targets over long distances and challenging conditions enables a quick and accurate response to threats, he emphasized.
