From the Liveblog of
Sunday, August 27, 2023
Two years on, advanced spy plane nearly ready for operational takeoff
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Defense Ministry says its research division and the Israel Aerospace Industries have completed the equipping of a new spy aircraft, dubbed the Oron, with advanced technologies, more than two years after it was purchased.
The airplane, a Gulfstream G550 Aerospace, has been outfitted with a bevy of sensors and data collection equipment that allows it to rapidly locate targets in all weather conditions, and is now undergoing final test flights.
In 2021, the military first received an Oron aircraft, which it said would improve its ability to gather intelligence and identify targets for attack in Iran, Iraq, Yemen and other far-flung areas in the Middle East.
The ministry says its Directorate of Defense Research and Development and IAI “have fully implemented the aircraft’s intelligence systems as it proceeds toward final delivery to the Israeli Air Force.”
“This achievement represents a significant milestone in the aircraft’s development and testing program,” the ministry says.
The Oron, which the ministry calls “the world’s most advanced aircraft of its kind,” will be operated by the IAF’s 122nd Squadron at the Nevatim airbase in southern Israel, once the test flight phase is completed.
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