IMI at Defense-and-Security 2015

IMI at Defense-and-Security 2015

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IMI is displaying a number of advanced weapon systems at Defense & Security 2015, the Tri-Service Defense and Security Exhibition held in Bangkok, Thailand 2-5 November. IMI exhibit showcases several innovative defense technologies developed at IMI in recent years, including the CombatGuard all-terrain protected combat vehicle, Red Sky air defense system and MPR-500 aerial bomb.

CombatGuard:

IMI will demonstrate the CombatGuard to potential customers from South-East Asia who expressed interest in the vehicle, and its suitability for specific operational requirements of several countries in the region. The powerful and agile CombatGuard will demonstrate its ability to travel off-road, over extremely harsh terrain.

IMI’s CombatGuard is designed to address the military requirements to operate over a wide spectrum of military operations, deliver protected combat mobility under changing battlefield conditions, from counter-terror and low-intensity to high intensity combat.

CombatGuard is a unique 4×4 armored combat vehicle offering exceptional protection and mobility capabilities. Designed to flexibly adapt to changing terrain conditions, CombatGuard enables combat forces to rapidly deploy protected mobility into and across theater, rapidly adapt to any threat they may encounter.

שומר ראש9Built with a spacious monocoque capsule that provides ballistic, mine and blast protection, the vehicle has additional IED and Explosive Formed Projectiles (EFP) protection providing the highest level of protection for a vehicle of its size. The CombatGuard accommodates six fully equipped soldiers , driver included, along with remotely controlled weapon station.

Powered by a 300Hp diesel engine, the eight-ton vehicle sustains a maximum road speed of 150 km/h. It can traverse a vertical obstacle 0.8 meter high or ford a water gap up to 1.5 meter deep. In comparative field tests the mobility demonstrated by the CombatGuard, in rugged and muddy terrains, equaled and even exceeds that of tracked vehicles.

Designed as a multi-mission platform, the vehicle can be configured for different roles to meet specific customer requirements. Specific variants may include scout, command vehicle, target-acquisition and intelligence vehicle, communications carrier etc.

Unlike vehicles based on modified commercial or military chases, CombatGuard represents ‘clean sheet design’, optimized for military missions. It is prepared for decades of reliable and efficient operations at a low Life Cycle Cost (LCC), operating in harsh terrain and under environmental conditions.

MPR-500

MPR500 – advanced aerial ordnance developed by IMI to enhance the effectiveness, lethality and reduce collateral damage risk of aerial attacks in urban areas. MPR500 entered operational service recently.

The new weapon represents a breakthrough in aerial ordnance – an area that has not evolved significantly for decades. Optimized for use with precision guidance systems, the MPR-500 enables modern air forces to strike targets in dense urban environments and in close proximity to friendly forces, while reducing collateral damage and risk to non-combatants near the target.

mpr500  חדשThe new bomb is uniquely designed to hit targets hidden inside buildings, by penetrating through multiple floor levels and detonate its fragmenting high-explosive warhead inside structures, thus enabling planners to target a specific floor, while leaving the rest of a building relatively safe. Moreover, the weapon maintains its structural integrity throughout its path; eliminating breakup or jittering that has often been encountered with standard general-purpose bombs – an unexpected behavior that increases the risk of duds or collateral damage. Operating against such hard targets, MPR-500 offers over 90 percent reliability.

The high reliability of the weapon enables air forces to use the MPR-500 in operational conditions that could not have been used before. Coupled with precision-guidance such as the JDAM or laser guidance kits, the bomb can hit targets in dense urban areas with very high precision, ensuring that only the target will be destroyed. This level of precision increases the confidence of air force planners and pilots to strike targets close to friendly forces without the risk of fratricide.

Red-Sky

This tactical, very short-range air defense (VSHORAD) system is integrating existing shoulder launched man-portable air defense missile systems (MANPADS) into an automated air defense system. Performing autonomous air search, tracking and engagement, Red Sky is designed to retain the original systems’ high mobility and rapid deployment, yet improving their effectiveness against aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Through the integration of sensors, Red Sky enables users to extend the effective range of standard MANPADS missiles to their maximum range and accuracy, in day and night operation.

The compact system can be mounted on vehicles or operate dismounted, supporting rapid deployment operations. Employing MANPADS missiles on a launcher ensures high readiness and rapid response, by overcoming limitations of man-portable systems, often associated with human factors. Distributed deployment and use of passive sensors also ensure the unit’s concealment and survivability in combat.

As a modular system Red Sky is designed today for future growth, integrating advanced effectors such as high-energy laser and electronic jammers. The system can also be integrated with other sensors.

The system’s modules including:

Optical sensor: employing a thermal imager as passive sensor, automatically detecting airborne targets within the sector assigned for the Red Sky.

Missile Launchers: This assembly accommodates two missile launchers and target acquisition system, comprised of a thermal camera and laser rangefinder for target identification and ranging.

Command and control module: providing the user interface and processor for all functions – target search, detection, identification, and tracking, lock-on, launch and damage assessment.

The Red Sky system can operate autonomously or integrated into a wider air defense system.

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