Ground Forces chief taps senior officer to lead efforts against Hezbollah’s FPV drones

The chief of the Ground Forces, Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan, has appointed a senior officer to be responsible for finding solutions for the drone threat troops are facing in southern Lebanon.

The officer, a brigadier general and a pilot, heads the Ground Forces’ Strike Division, which is normally tasked with developing doctrine for combined air, intelligence and ground operations.

Several officers are working under the general to find solutions for first-person view (FPV) drones, especially those guided by fiber-optic cables, which are immune to electronic jamming and difficult to detect.

To counter the fiber-optic FPV drones, the IDF has deployed passive physical defenses in southern Lebanon, such as netting above troops, vehicles and outposts. According to the military, these measures have proven effective when troops “maintain operational discipline.”

The IDF has also deployed mobile radars to southern Lebanon, which are adapted to identify drones flying at different ranges and alert forces, who can then attempt to shoot them down.

The military is examining and implementing several methods of shooting down the drones by ground troops, including shotguns at short ranges, special ammunition that disperses in the air, and automated turrets.

The Ground Forces is also experimenting with other technological solutions for the drones, and cooperating with international partners as part of the effort, according to the military.