Israel’s War Against Palestine: Documenting the Military Occupation of Palestinian and Arab Lands

Israel Aerospace Industries unveils unmanned aircraft – GHOST

24 August 2011

GHOST in built areas

GHOST in built areas (Photo: Israel Aerospace Industries)

Israel Aerospace Industries unveiled over the weekend its latest development in the field of secret unmanned aerial vehicles – a miniature aircraft weighing four kilograms, known as GHOST to foreign customers.

IOA Editor: Israel’s approach to dealing with Palestinian civil society has often been via a ‘technology fix:’ Spot and Shoot, robotic fighting machines, Shock Vehicle and, last but not least, the Caterpillar bulldozer.

This most recent addition to Israel’s arsenal will enable occupation forces to observe urban resistance in narrow alleys, ‘around the corner,’ via a device remotely controlled at the platoon level.

As with the other ‘fixes,’ GHOST could potentially lessen IDF casualties thus making the cost of occupation more acceptable to Israeli society, while enabling the IAI to sell yet another product, tested on the backs of Palestinians, to shady governments around the world.


 

By Ora Coren, Haaretz – 21 Aug 2011
www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-aerospace-industries-unveils-unmanned-aircraft-ghost-1.379853

Israel Aerospace Industries unveiled over the weekend its latest development in the field of secret unmanned aerial vehicles – a miniature aircraft weighing four kilograms, known as GHOST to foreign customers.

In a Washington exhibition, the IAI showcased the unmanned aircraft that is able to provide intelligence imagery in real time to soldiers in urban areas, and is also suitable for civilian use. GHOST lands and launches vertically and is able to fly and hover while automatically maintaining its altitude.

GHOST has a low acoustic signature, and can stay airborne for half-an-hour including a payload for both daytime and nighttime observations.

The unmanned aerial vehicle can be used by both the military company as well as fighters in the field. The system can be carried in two backpacks by fighters, and it includes two aircrafts, several batteries and a portable computer that is used to oversee and control the device, including communication.

GHOST field deployment

GHOST field deployment (Photo: Israel Aerospace Industries)

Yitzhak Nissan, the head of the IAI said that “GHOST is at the forefront of technology thanks to years of experience and knowledge acquired in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles.”

The IAI also exhibited in Washington several models of the “Bat”, a hovering platform used to collect intelligence that can provides support in targeted missions as well as another unmanned aerial vehicle known as the “Heron” that is operational in Afghanistan and used by many Western militaries.

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