Israel's Border Solution: Sentry Turrets
Looking more and more like a sci-fi war book (or one large fortress), Israel has turned to unmanned but heavily armed sentry turrets to protect its borders. Right now, it is along the "hot" border with Gaza, but it could be expanded.
Developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the network consists of weapons towers, mounting a remotely-controlled 7.62 mm or 50-caliber weapon, linked to an observation station. The observation post, which are manned mostly by female soldiers (who are not allowed to have front-line roles in the Israeli army), monitors border activity around the clock. When an attempted border penetration (or other suspicious activity) is detected, operators can direct one or more towers to engage the targets. In addition to the tower-mounted guns, observers can also employ precision-guided missiles... yup.
Crazy Israelis, though in this case I understand the value of the system. However, as is often my fear with remotely operated weapons systems, one has to wonder to what degree the reduce cost and risk of engaging a target increases the likelihood of doing so (and thus the possibly preventable loss of life).
Developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the network consists of weapons towers, mounting a remotely-controlled 7.62 mm or 50-caliber weapon, linked to an observation station. The observation post, which are manned mostly by female soldiers (who are not allowed to have front-line roles in the Israeli army), monitors border activity around the clock. When an attempted border penetration (or other suspicious activity) is detected, operators can direct one or more towers to engage the targets. In addition to the tower-mounted guns, observers can also employ precision-guided missiles... yup.
Crazy Israelis, though in this case I understand the value of the system. However, as is often my fear with remotely operated weapons systems, one has to wonder to what degree the reduce cost and risk of engaging a target increases the likelihood of doing so (and thus the possibly preventable loss of life).
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