Israeli
Suicide-drone Maker Carried Out Live Demo on Armenian Army Targets, Complaint
Says
Israeli Defense Ministry probes allegation that Azerbaijan asked
Aeronautics Defense Systems to demonstrate drone on military target. When the
drone operators refused, managers attempted to carry out the test. The company
denies the allegation
Gili Cohen
13.08.2017 | 14:05
Israel's new kamikaze drone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYKmVEWzkxo
The Defense Ministry is examining whether the Israeli firm Aeronautics
Defense Systems was asked to actually demonstrate the use of an armed unmanned
aircraft in the Central Asian republic of Azerbaijan against a military
position of the neighboring country of Armenia, with which Azerbaijan has a border dispute. The Israeli company denies
the allegation.
The Defense Ministry recently received a complaint alleging that after a
team from Aeronautics Defense Systems came to Azerbaijan seeking to finalize a
contract for the sale of company's Orbiter 1K unmanned aircraft, they were
asked to deploy the aircraft, armed with explosives, on a military position of
the Armenian army.
The existence of the complaint was reported Sunday by the Israeli daily
paper Maariv. For its part however, Aeronautics Defense Systems strongly denied
that its staff carried out such a mission, saying that it was carried out by
the purchaser of the aircraft, and the company "never carries out
demonstrations [of the operations of the drone] on live targets, and that was
true in this case as well."
According to Maariv, the two Israeli operators of the craft refused to
hit the Armenian position, and after remaining firm in their refusal even after
threats directed against them, senior representatives of the company armed and
operated the unmanned aircraft themselves. Ultimately the drones are said to
have missed their targets, and no damage was caused, but according to the
complaint, one of them struck at a distance of about 100 meters (330 feet) from
the position.
The company's website states that the Orbiter 1k in
is capable of carrying a special 1 to 2 kilogram (2.2 to 4.4 pound) special
explosive payload.
The complaint against the company was filed with the ministry's Defense
Export Controls Agency, which is responsible for overseeing the activities of
the country's defense contractors, certainly when it is demonstrating the use
of such equipment.
The dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which has resulted in
fighting over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, has resulted in the
loss of life. In the past, it had been reported that an unmanned aircraft,
including aircraft of the type that crash into their targets, was seen on the attack in Nagorno-Karabakh. In
that case, the aircraft was a Harop model produced by Israel Aerospace
Industries. In 2016, it was reported that a Harop hit a bus and killed seven
Armenians.
Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev, recently said that his country had
purchased nearly $5 billion worth of military equipment from Israel. On a visit
by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Azerbaijan late last year, the Azeri
president made note of the military cooperation between the two countries over
many years. According to foreign reports, Israel has sold Azerbaijan radar and
unmanned aircraft systems as well as Israeli Tavor rifles.
The Defense Ministry said in response: "As a rule, the Defense
Ministry does not make it a practice to comment on issues involving military
exports. The claim is being examined by the relevant parties at the
ministry."
Aeronautics Defense Systems stated: "Aeronautics markets its
products to customers in about 50 different countries,[and] only in accordance
with approval from the Defense Export Controls Agency. The operational action
was carried out by the purchaser alone and on its responsibility. Aeronautics
has never carried out demonstrations on live targets, and that was true in this
case as well."