A new observing system was recently installed in the IAF’s surveillance seaplane.
Bar Josephine Dadon, Bamahane magazine 09 November 2010
http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/News/today/10/11/0901.htm
IAF eyes can now see better. A new observing system was recently installed
in the IAF’s surveillance seaplane, the Shachaf, allowing operators to see
farther than they could in the past without moving close to dangerous areas.
The system was installed in the Shachaf as part of a project to update the
planes, substantially improving their abilities and allowing them to
continue flying in the IDF in coming years. “For the plane, this is a huge
step up in every way,” said the department of aircraft engineering.
Within the framework of this project, which cost security forces 22 million
shekels, systems used for daily patrols were also updated allowing for
better communication with counterparts on land and sea. This system, a new
version of the Navy’s control and surveillance system also installed on the
plane, holds more information than it ever has, collecting information
midflight. The latter will allow for better cooperation between military
arms in the moment of truth.
Additionally, the IAF considered interior design. “We thought about and
planned the stations in the plane making its interior comfortable and
conducive for a working environment,” said an IAF officer and member of the
project to upgrade Shachaf, Capt. Ronen Cogan. “The crew’s ability to
operate comfortably inside the plane directly affects the success of a
mission.”
The new systems to be installed on the plane were developed in the Aerospace
Industry with the IAF and Navy. “The Shachaf planes are operational and
important to the IAF and the Navy, of the same importance that a ships holds
for the latter,” added Capt. Cogan.
The Shachaf planes are part of squadron Anakey Hamidbar which operates in
the Nevatim Airbase of the IAF. Up until February 2009, the squadron was
held in the Lod Air Force Base but was moved to Nevatim as part of the IDF’s
general move to southern Israel.
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