Big_Zukini
ACCESS: Confidential
- Joined
- 23 November 2024
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On October 7th 2023 and the following days, Israel was attacked on 7 fronts. In contrast with wars in the past 20 years, the threat included not only rockets but also drones, routinely launched from Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and Iran.
Most of these were evidently fairly easy to detect, track, and defeat. But drones launched from Lebanon posed an exceptional challenge. They were launched from valleys, flew close to the ground, and only popped into line of sight when they were already moments away from the border.
The IDF routinely AH-64 helicopters to shoot them down, usually with cannons. They also took care to only fire when debris and missing cannon fire would not endanger anyone, which means drones would still fly tens of km into Israeli territory until a shoot-down window presented itself.
To better defeat drones on very short notice, the IDF started in 2024 a program to revive old M113 based M163 VADS named Hovet in Israel.
The Hovet was actually modernized later with a quad Stinger pack and new sensors in a variant then named Machbet which also was later withdrawn in 2006.
It is now revealed that 3 units are in service, and by August 2025 another 5 will enter service, for a total of 8 units.
These retain the same M113 chassis and 20mm cannon, they have a new EO sensor, but are missing the old radar as well as all of the former external equipment.
Although not visible in the video, it is highly likely operational variants have communication equipment and are linked to a local targeting center that operates them semi-remotely.
Most of these were evidently fairly easy to detect, track, and defeat. But drones launched from Lebanon posed an exceptional challenge. They were launched from valleys, flew close to the ground, and only popped into line of sight when they were already moments away from the border.
The IDF routinely AH-64 helicopters to shoot them down, usually with cannons. They also took care to only fire when debris and missing cannon fire would not endanger anyone, which means drones would still fly tens of km into Israeli territory until a shoot-down window presented itself.
To better defeat drones on very short notice, the IDF started in 2024 a program to revive old M113 based M163 VADS named Hovet in Israel.
The Hovet was actually modernized later with a quad Stinger pack and new sensors in a variant then named Machbet which also was later withdrawn in 2006.
It is now revealed that 3 units are in service, and by August 2025 another 5 will enter service, for a total of 8 units.
These retain the same M113 chassis and 20mm cannon, they have a new EO sensor, but are missing the old radar as well as all of the former external equipment.
Although not visible in the video, it is highly likely operational variants have communication equipment and are linked to a local targeting center that operates them semi-remotely.
