From pioneer to pariah: Israel's drone business faces potential backlash
The country's drone technology was born in the IDF. But its role in the commercial ecosystem enters new scrutiny amid war actions taken with Hamas.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted an update on The Spiro Circle - and that’s not for lack of news in the world! Recently we’ve been blessed by busy news feeds relating to Biden’s confirmed mental decline, elections in the UK and France, and the ongoing Euros football tournament. The truth is I have been focusing most of my attention on my family and so my writing across most platforms has recently been reserved for Posts on X [See what I mean here].
Today I want to share with you the latest story I wrote for CTech. It explores Israel’s historic position as a drone pioneer and how the country faces bureaucratic and diplomatic hurdles in entering the commercial space. For the piece, I spoke to retired IDF Major General and former Commander of the Israeli Air Force, Eitan Ben Eliyahu, as well as Daniella Partem from the Israel Innovation Authority. Hope you enjoy it.
Civilians are preparing for a future where their Amazon parcels are delivered from the sky: unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that travel across rural and urban areas to deliver medicines, food, and other items directly to their homes. The technology still relies on bureaucratic and regulatory headaches to win over skeptical minds and remain safe, and Israel’s role in the ecosystem has entered new scrutiny amid its war actions taken with Hamas.
It is a technology that was born decades ago in the military context. Most significantly, it was the Israeli Defense Forces that was designing the technology that would one day be used by the Americans to show the world what was now becoming capable.
“We were the only army and the only military force who developed and used the UAV,” said Major Gen. (Ret.) Eitan Ben Eliyahu, the former Commander of the Israeli Air Force, thinking back to 1970. “The second air power who recognized the need was the Americans. They actually started in the late 1980s through DARPA [Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency].”
Ben Eliyahu was speaking to CTech ahead of the World's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Conference held this month in Jerusalem. The conference revealed the latest innovations and developments in the world of drones, especially in light of the Iron Swords War. It also emphasized the world of UAVs and drones in today’s civilian market, the integration of AI in the aviation world, and the future of the industry.
The conference took place amid UK protests that call to stop the export of weapons to Israel and how its use of AI in Gaza comes under closer scrutiny from allies and critics alike.
As chairman of the conference and one of its initiators, Ben Eliyahu comes with a unique perspective…