Major General (Retd) Ilan Biran, Chairman, Rafael
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems is a steadily growing company with sales in 2011 exceeding $1,979 million, backlog orders exceeding $3,465 million, and net profits at a record level of $111 million. It invests 7 per cent of its sales towards R&D. The company has created partnerships with companies in Israel and with leading aerospace and defence companies overseas. Offset activities and industrial cooperation have been organised with over 20 countries worldwide.
SP’s ShowNews (SP’s): Could you tell us from when Rafael started participating in Aero India and what has been the progress?
Ilan Biran (Biran): Rafael has participated in the Aero India show for the last 18 years. Rafael considers this Bengaluru show an excellent platform to showcase its wide portfolio of solutions and systems for air applications. It is also an effective platform to hold meetings with our Indian and other international customers and users.
SP’s: What will be the focus of Rafael at this year’s Aero India event?
Biran: In the upcoming air show Rafael will display for the first time its entire portfolio of aerial solutions and systems:
Iron Dome is an air defence system to counteract short-range ballistic threats. Developed in less than three years, Iron Dome has in the last two years intercepted over 500 rockets that were fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip, with a success rate of over 80 per cent, most notably in the latest Operation Pillar of Defense last November.
SPYDER (surface-to-air Python & Derby) is a quick reaction, low-level surface-to-air missile system designed to counter-attacks by aircraft, helicopters UAVs and precision-guided munitions. The system provides effective protection of valuable assets, as well as first-class defence for forces located in the combat area. SPYDER incorporates Rafael’s most advanced, proven performance air-to-air missiles—the Derby active radar (RF) missile and Python-5, a dual wave band imaging infrared (IIR) missile. The SPYDER family includes SPYDER-SR (short-range) and SPYDER-MR (medium-range) systems.
David’s Sling is an affordable and lethal solution against long-range artillery rockets (LRAR), short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM), cruise missiles (CM) and traditional air defence threats. The system provides optimum protection for the homeland as well as forward deployed forces. David’s Sling is in development by Rafael, in partnership with Raytheon USA. The system has already completed its first successful full interception test.
SP’s: What new products/technologies are you bringing to India this time?
Biran: At Aero India 2013, Rafael will also exhibit in addition to its air defence systems other families of missiles with high commonality, for multi-platform applications:
Python-5 is the fifth-generation air-to-air missile that provides the pilot engaging an enemy aircraft with a full sphere launch capability. The missile can be launched from very short to beyond-visual ranges with greater kill probability, excellent resistance to countermeasures, irrespective of evasive target manoeuvres or deployment of countermeasures.
Derby is an active radar air-to-air missile that provides fighter aircraft with outstanding and effective performance in both short ranges and beyond visual range (BVR) intercepts. The missile enables operational flexibility and multishot capability. It can be launched at an enemy aircraft day or night and in all-weather conditions.
The Python-5 IIR, air-to-air missile, complements the performance of the Derby medium-range air-to-air missile. Both missiles are already operational in several air forces. Together they offer superior warfighting capability to ensure air superiority for pilots in the 21st century.
SPICE, stand-off, autonomous, air-to-ground weapon system hits and destroys targets with pinpoint accuracy and at high attack volumes. SPICE is in service with the Israeli Air Force and under contract with several international customers. SPICE is a guidance kit that can be mounted on general purpose and penetration warheads:
SPICE-1000 for 1,000 lb warheads such as MK-83/RAP1000/BLU-110 and SPICE-2000 for 2,000 lb warheads such as MK-84/RAP2000/BLU-109
The SPIKE Family consists of multi-range missiles suited for land, air and sea platforms, multiple ranges and a variety of targets. The missiles in this family have sophisticated electro-optic CCD or IIR sensors for day/night all-weather operation, as well as a tandem warhead. Their lofted trajectories enable the warhead to strike the target at its most vulnerable location with pinpoint precision. All of the SPIKE Family members have a low life-cycle cost, due to high reliability and operational and logistic support and production commonality between members.
Electro-optic systems
Litening is a combat-proven multi-spectral airborne targeting and navigation pod. Designed for navigation and target illumination, Litening significantly enhances day and night attack capabilities.
RecceLite is day/night electro-optical tactical reconnaissance pod for realtime imagery collection and data transfer. Self-contained and self-cooled, the multi-sensor system is composed of an airborne payload, a wide digital data link and a ground exploitation station (GES). RecceLite is combat proven and in operation worldwide.
Comunications
ImiLite is a cost-effective advanced ISR exploitation system. The system is designed to receive, process and exploit multiple stand-alone imagery and video sensors, as well as other intelligence data, in a centralised and unified way. Utilising state-of-the-art image processing algorithms, the ImiLite ISR exploitation system enables efficient exploitation of all incoming data into a unified intelligence situational awareness picture.
Global Link is a wideband communication system that fulfills today’s network-centric warfare communication requirements, and provides common data link connectivity for transferring tactical data of C4I applications.
SP’s: India has shown interest in the Iron Dome systems. Could you give an update on the same? Python 5, Derby, Spyder, RecceLite, etc have been showcased at earlier Aero India events and they are here this time too. Is it difficult to convince the Indian market or such programmes take time to materialise?
Biran: Rafael does not elaborate on specific marketing processes before their completion and announcement by the customer. We do emphasise, however, that we consider Indias a strategic partner to Rafael, and as such, we will continue to offer it our wide variety of systems and capabilities, including knowledge and productions transfer, while taking into consideration the prolonged nature of procurement processes in the industry.
SP’s: What is the status of the joint venture (JV) with Mahindra Defence? Any other JV in the pipeline?
Biran: We are engaged in joint ventures and partnerships with local Indian industries such as Mahindra, BDL and BEL and are on constant search to expand our activities in the country, in cooperation with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in order to better address local needs and requirements.
SP’s: Besides India, which other countries in Asia have Rafael products?
Biran: Rafael holds dozens of partnerships and cooperation agreements with many countries, including with the United States, countries in Europe, Asia, South America and others. More than 60 per cent of our business is international. One of our strengths lies in the fact that we are Israel national laboratory, with an exceptionally capable workforce that provides the company the innovative and combat-proven solutions that it offers to its customers, such as the globally-unique “Iron Dome” and “Trophy” systems. Rafael is known for making systems that are flexible and adaptable to the customers’ specific needs.
