A new laser-guided mortar has completed trials and will bring smaller units greater firepower while reducing collateral damage to non-competitors due to its high accuracy, the Department of Defense said Sunday.
The 120 mm Iron Sting mortar was developed by the ministry together with the Israeli army and Elbit Systems and will be delivered to the army after the successful completion of the tests in the south of the country.
Defense Secretary Benny Gantz said in a statement that the Israeli industry is providing the IDF with technology “that will change the battle arena and give us more lethal, accurate and effective means.”
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Gantz apparently referred to Israel’s clashes with the Hamas terrorist group in the Gaza Strip and the Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist group in the north, and said the weapon met the army’s need for ‘appropriate means to fight enemies hiding among civilian populations. , while complying with the legal and value standards set by the State of Israel. ”
He said Iron Sting would integrate well with the IDF’s multi-year plan, the general framework under which the Israeli military builds its arsenals and trains its troops to deal with the threats facing it in the coming year.
Colonel Arik Avivi, head of the IDF’s armies division for land forces, said the weapon offers a capability that has been for the brigade or division to this day, and we are now bringing it to the level of the battalion. ‘
He said it would offer a “very large lethality for that level” of power size.
According to the head of the Ministry of Defense’s administration for the development of weapons and technological infrastructure, Yaniv Rotem, the mortar has been in development for ten years.
He described it internationally as ‘groundbreaking’, saying the mortar infantry units would provide the kind of accuracy previously available only to missiles and weapons.
“Iron Sting is intended to deliver accurate fire in the open field and in crowded urban areas, while reducing collateral damage due to injuries to non-combatants,” the statement said.
According to the Elbit website, Iron Sting has a range of 1-12 kilometers (0.6-7.5 miles, depending on the launch mortar) and is accurate to within 10 meters.
