By YAAKOV KATZ
01/18/2011 02:21 The Jerusalem Post
Exclusive: Army studies methods of using topography to safeguard critical supplies against incoming missiles.
The multi-million-dollar plan was created by the IDF’s Logistics and Technology Directorate, and is set to receive a dedicated budget from the General Staff in the military’s next multi-year plan – expected to go into effect in 2012.
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Under the plan, next year the IDF will begin building a relatively small bunker of several thousand square meters inside a mountain whose location is classified. If the project is successful, it will enter the next phase, which includes building several more bunkers over the next few years.
Following the Second Lebanon War against Hizbullah in 2006 – and amid predictions that IDF bases will be targeted in a future conflict – the Logistics and Technology Directorate formulated the plan, dubbed “Operational Continuity.” Its primary objective is to disperse important equipment into mountain bunkers across the country.
“We work under the assumption that in the next war, IDF bases will be targeted,” a senior officer said on Monday.
“At the same time, we need to be able to continue to supply troops who will be operating behind enemy lines, and have a limited amount of supplies with them.”
The army will also bolster protection of sensitive locations – such as warehouses where advanced weapons are stored. Bunkers inside mountains could serve as an alternative to open bases, the officer said.
An IDF delegation recently visited a number of countries that uses similar bunker systems, including South Korea.
The IDF plans to issue a contract to civilian companies to build the new facility.
“The advantage of building bunkers inside mountains is that this way trucks – which come to load up on supplies – will not be doing so out in the open, but will be able to drive into the bunker where they will be protected, and then exit when it is safe again,” the officer said.
The IDF has also begun holding seminars to prepare soldiers to continue operating if enemy missiles strike bases.
Israel Air Force bases, which are considered prime targets, have significantly increased the number of training exercises they hold. At the Nevatim Base southeast of Beersheba on Monday, for example, commanders held drills simulating missile attacks on the base, as well as emphasizing the need to continue loading weapons on fighter jets.
Airmen at the Hatzor Base near Ashdod have prepared by carrying out over 25 drills last year, compared to 12 in 2009.IDF to create flying, swimming field hospitals
By YAAKOV KATZ
The Jerusalem Post -01/16/2011 02:03 Field hospitals will help minimize time it takes to evacuate wounded soldiers, as part of lessons learned after Operation Cast Lead.
The decision was made as part of lessons learned by the IDF following the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip in 2008-2009. In both cases, wounded soldiers were in many cases evacuated by tank or helicopter and then transported to the closest Israeli hospital.
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The Israel Navy plans to establish a hospital aboard one of its Sa’ar 4.5-class vessels which cruise by Gaza or Lebanon and receive patients by sea. This was done in the past, in cases where the soldiers were wounded close to the beach, from where the sea route was the fastest and safest evacuation route.
Each floating hospital could include a number of beds as well as a fully-stocked operating room for complicated procedures.
The establishment of a hospital in the air is slightly more complex due to the difficulty of conducting procedures in mid air and when a plane, for example, encounters turbulence.
The IAF’s Unit 669 is currently responsible for search-and-rescue operations and the evacuation of wounded soldiers from the battlefield. The establishment of a field hospital aboard aircraft would enable doctors and medics to perform more surgeries and complicated procedures on seriously-wounded soldiers.
IDF plans pilotless chopper to evacuate wounded
By YAAKOV KATZThe Jerusalem Post -01/07/2011 03:25
Photo by: Courtesy
Second Lebanon War experiences underline importance of AirMule’s unique capabilities, officers say.
Called AirMule, the UAV is under development by the Yavne-based Urban Aeronautics firm. It is a single-engine UAV with vertical-takeoff-and landing capabilities and has successfully completed the first phase of its flight testing, which included autonomous hovering.
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The AirMule has performed 40 test hovers and accumulated 10 hours of flight time.
Currently, the aircraft is undergoing a systems upgrade including the development and installation of wheeled landing gear that will facilitate mobility on the ground.
Senior officers said this week that the IDF was interested in buying the AirMule and planned to ask for a special budget for the program under the military’s new multi-year plan that is expected to be approved in the coming months by Maj.-Gen. Yoav Galant, who will become chief of General Staff in February.
The IDF’s interest in the Air- Mule stems from lessons learned from the Second Lebanon War, when a large number of casualties needed to be evacuated by air. IDF assessments are that the system could be operational within a few years.
“The AirMule is unique since it can bring supplies and cargo in its hull and then take back a wounded soldier,” a senior officer involved in the project said this week.
“We want to see if there is a possibility to make room for another soldier inside the hull, and [to add] a light as well as a communication system to enable the soldier to speak with someone as he is being flown to safety,” the officer said.
If the budget is obtained, the IDF plans to invest some of it in the development of the Air- Mule. The goal, the IDF officer said, would be to distribute one AirMule UAV each to brigades and divisions operating in either Lebanon or the Gaza Strip.
“It has the unique ability to land anywhere – on a roof, in a field or even hover next to a window, open its back door and enable soldiers to slide their wounded comrade inside,” he said.
“This could significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to evacuate a soldier from a battlefield.”
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