Summary
- IAI and L3Harris partner to develop Blue Sky Warden aircraft.
- Based on L3Harris Sky Warden platform tailored for Israeli needs.
- Features Israeli mission systems, open-architecture software integration.
With the signing of a memorandum of understanding last week between American and Israeli defense companies for the construction of the aircraft, Israel is moving forward with the purchase of new light attack aircraft for border security.
Under the several regional divisions of the Israel Defense Force, the Israeli Air Force has been preparing to create multiple new squadrons that would fly light aircraft around Israel's borders with the Gaza Strip, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt since at least late 2024.
IAF officials said the squadrons would conduct long-endurance surveillance missions and fly light aircraft armed with machine guns and other munitions to prevent large-scale infiltration attacks.
The light aircraft squadrons were established in response to the lessons learnt after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel.
According to the IAF's investigation into the October 7 raid, helicopters were subjected to anti-aircraft fire, and fighter jets were unable to obtain real-time intelligence on Hamas's ground invasion.
Israel Aerospace Industries and American defense contractor L3Harris announced last Wednesday that they had inked a memorandum of understanding to work together on developing an Israeli version of L3Harris' Sky Warden aircraft, also called the Skyraider II. The Sky Warden was initially developed from the Air Tractor AT-802, which is used for firefighting and agriculture.
“By combining IAI’s cutting-edge systems and expertise in mission systems integration with L3Harris’ Sky Warden platform, we are delivering a tailored solution that meets the evolving needs of the Ministry of Defense and Israeli Air Force,”
he said, according to the statement.
The standard version of the Sky Warden is also being produced by L3Harris for the US Special Operations Command.
The Air Tractor AT-802, the original version of the aircraft, is already in use in Israel by the Fire and Rescue Service’s Elad aerial firefighting squadron.
What are the Blue Sky Warden's expected capabilities and weapons load?
The Blue Sky Warden, developed through a collaboration between Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and U.S. contractor L3Harris, is designed for protean combat and surveillance. It features a 6,000- pound cargo capacity, with a focus on intelligence, surveillance, surveillance( ISR), and perfection strike capabilities.
Its anticipated armament cargo includes perfection- guided munitions similar as AGM- 114 Hellfire dumdums, Joint Direct Attack Munitions( JDAM), and potentially Israeli-specific munitions like Spike NLOS dumdums.
The aircraft boasts long abidance with a crawl time of around 6 hours and can operate from rough, unpaved runways, making it suitable for border security. It's equipped with advanced detectors, similar to EO/ IR systems including Wescam MX- 15 and MX- 20, for medium- altitude, all- rainfall operations, day or night.