IDF’s ‘eye in the sky’ to aid vehicles navigating danger zones

While tanks and jeeps in the battlefield have a host of communication devices that keep drivers and crews aware of everything that is going on around them, until now supply and rescue vehicles navigating danger zones have had no such support.

New IDF location-based technology “Mamlacha” — a Hebrew acronym for “computerized homefront mission navigation system” — is set to change the situation. To some extent similar to the technology developed by Israeli start-up Waze, Mamlacha enables drivers to get a complete  picture of what they are up against when they enter unsafe territory. The system is to be installed in a wide variety of support and Homefront Command vehicles.

Combined with information from early warning attack detection systems, such as the Red Alert system in southern Israel to warn against incoming missile attacks from Gaza, the new navigation system can alert drivers if a missile is headed in their direction. High-resolution, real-time images of the area are transmitted and analyzed, and drivers are then notified of exactly what to expect as they proceed, including where and when areas in their vicinity are under attack, or, in the case of a natural or other disaster, given directions of where to take refuge –- or, in the case of an ambulance, where to be most useful. When appropriate, the system will also advise drivers of alternative routes to reach their destination.

Until now, information was gained second-hand, using local reports and information from military vehicles in battle or danger zones. However, when army personnel are otherwise engaged, the information can be delayed with no alternative to providing a warning to drivers in the event of a surprise attack, emergency or natural disaster in the immediate vicinity. Even if drivers were aware of problems on the road ahead, there was no way they could easily find an alternative route to their destination –- or to safety –- unless they had very detailed maps, or knew the area very well.

The system is based on technology used by the IDF to conduct rescue missions in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, where a prototype was used, an IDF spokesperson told the Times of Israel. The new system, introduced several weeks ago, comes with significant improvements in performance and accuracy. The intention is to eventually install the system in all IDF supply trucks, ambulances, and other support vehicles.

Mamlacha was recently tested in a recent Homefront Command exercise, when a missile landed in a residential area and caused significant damage, with debris blocking streets and highways. Both participants and commanders gave the system very high marks, the spokesperson said.

IDF Major Nir Oren, who is responsible for implementing the system, added that it is able to store collected information for several weeks. According to Oren, this should make things much easier for Homefront Command workers. “Much of what the Homefront Command does is in residential areas, and the system’s ability to transmit data, as well as receive it, will give us an important eye in areas where help is needed. Thanks to this new navigation system,” Oren added, “we will be able to act much more effectively in the field.”