Being the enemy of Israel just got a bit less appealing….
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The Authority for Research and Development of Weapons in the Defense Ministry has developed a robot snake fitted with video and audio equipment that advances on the ground into enemy positions for intelligence collection. It can be used for special forces stealth operations, for crawling through Hamas tunnels or into Hizbullah bunkers. In addition, it could be used for locating survivors inside collapsed buildings after natural disasters or terror attacks.
The six-foot long snake can also be fitted with explosives and detonated inside enemy positions – a capability dubbed as ’suicide.’ The snake is currently in the prototype stage of development and has no price tag yet, but the Defense Ministry plans to begin production on a large scale soon.
According to a report on Channel 2, the snake can crawl into enemy positions through sewage pipes, under buildings and through forests. It is operated by one person with a laptop computer.
Other new weapons are already being supplied to the IDF, and are expected to be popular in upcoming weapons exhibits. Tanks in one of the IDF’s armored regiments will soon receive new shells, called Kalanit, for a week of experimental use.
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Fitted for 120 mm. guns, the Kalanit APAM is primarily intended for use against anti-tank squads that hide behind obstacles and are thus hard to hit using regular munitions. Unlike regular shells, which have a flat trajectory, the Kalanit is not fired directly at the enemy target but rather at a point in the air directly above it. According to the IDF website, it then stops in mid-air and releases six disc-shaped charges, or submunitions, at different intervals. The shrapnel from these charges covers a very wide and long kill zone and is effective against scattered targets as well as concentrated ones.
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Unlike the Rakefet, however, the Kalanit receives its target data when it is already inside the gun’s chamber. The tank crew needs only to mark the target with a press of a button and fire the shell, which will do all the rest automatically. These unique features of the Kalanit make it possible for the tank crew to carry it inside the gun chamber and fire it immediately upon spotting a target.
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The shell has four settings, for different types of targets. Besides being effective against infantry and anti-tank units, it can also be used against buildings, bunkers, armored personnel carriers and even helicopters. For a concentrated high explosive blast, all six submunitions.
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In other Israel related news:
Benny Begin – Why A Palestinian State Is Unacceptable
