Israel Aerospace Unveils Air Defense Systems to Counter Emerging Threats

"When sunset arrives, you just fold it and move to the next hill or two, and when morning comes, your enemy sees that you are not there anymore," Dror Bar, executive vice president at Israel Aerospace Industries and CEO of IAI’s Elta Systems, said of a new mobile aerostat-radar system unveiled at AUSA.

Point@Air: a mobile aerostat with phased-array radar

IAI unveiled Point@Air as a response to a shifting threat environment for aerostats — the tethered, balloon-like platforms long used for surveillance. At roughly 70 meters (230 feet) long, Point@Air pairs an aerostat with a phased-array radar that IAI says can detect fighter aircraft, large drones, cruise missiles and maritime targets. The system is designed to operate without fixed infrastructure and to be redeployed to a new location within hours, a capability IAI presents as a direct counter to the vulnerability created when adversaries can pinpoint static aerostats.

Bar linked the redesign to a recent incident in which Hezbollah targeted a large aerostat in northern Israel, saying mobility makes it harder for an adversary to target the platform with one-way attack drones. IAI describes Point@Air as suitable for homeland security missions and for customers such as US Central Command and other military commands. The system is in the demonstration phase while IAI works with US-based TCOM to adjust the platform’s size and configuration; TCOM is the prime contractor for the US Army’s aerostat platforms.

HawkGuard: an inert, net-based counter-drone interceptor

IAI presented HawkGuard as an answer to what Bar called the counter-drone sector’s “holy grail” — an ultra low-cost effector against small unmanned aircraft. HawkGuard uses an inert interceptor equipped with a large net rather than an explosive warhead. Radar and electro-optical sensors feed guidance data that the company describes as a closed-loop system, which leads the interceptor toward the target.

IAI emphasizes the absence of explosives as a key feature for use in populated environments and near sensitive infrastructure such as fuel storage. Bar said HawkGuard “has been widely tested” against a range of threats and is already “deployed with several customers.” The company also said the system can intercept drones that do not rely on communications links. IAI declined to disclose HawkGuard’s precise range, only describing it as a relatively short-range system, and stressed the product is designed to add a cost-effective, kinetic, inert layer to other defenses rather than replace them.

Fire Storm 250: a machine-gun-equipped UAV tested with Sig Sauer

IAI and Sig Sauer announced completion of a firing test for Fire Storm 250, described as a tactical unmanned aerial vehicle fitted with Sig Sauer’s Microlight Remote Controlled Weapon Station and the SIG SAUER M250 machine gun. During the test, the company statement said, the drone hovered over a simulated battlefield and fired on targets from varying distances and altitudes, demonstrating operational flexibility, integrated safety and accuracy under different conditions.

The companies declined to say which UAV airframe was used, though published images show a vehicle similar to IAI’s APUS 60. They also did not disclose how many rounds the system can carry. The statement notes the drone uses a multi-fuel internal-combustion engine that can be refueled in the field with commonly available fuel, avoiding lengthy battery-charging cycles or specialized infrastructure. Moshe Levy, IAI executive vice president and general manager of its Military Aircraft Group, framed the test as proof of integrating weapons with uncrewed aircraft, saying the next generation of unmanned systems will be defined by how they integrate sensing, decision-making and action. Sali Okanin, Sig Sauer’s Israel general manager, said the M250 is a “combat-proven” belt-fed platform with greater range than legacy systems and weight savings that enable drone deployment.

How US Central Command, homeland security, and US military bases might use these systems

• US Central Command and other theater commands: Point@Air is explicitly cited by IAI as applicable to US Central Command; the system’s mobility and phased-array radar could be attractive where fixed mast infrastructure is impractical or vulnerable, per IAI’s description.
• Homeland security agencies: IAI highlighted homeland security missions as a use case for a redeployable aerostat-radar that can be moved within hours to reduce targeting risk in populated areas.
• Managers of US military bases and installations in North America: IAI singled out North America as a market for HawkGuard, noting the interceptor’s inert, non-explosive design is suited to sites where explosive effectors would be hazardous. IAI positioned HawkGuard as a short-range, cost-effective layer to complement existing defenses.
• Procurement and operations leads: Fire Storm 250’s multi-fuel engine and field-refuel capability may appeal to units seeking endurance without battery logistics, while the companies’ nondisclosure of the specific airframe and ammunition capacity leaves operational planners with open questions about payload, endurance and sustainment.

Taken together, IAI’s AUSA package emphasizes mobility, layered defenses and adaptations of existing effectors rather than wholly new technologies. Point@Air remains in a demonstration phase with TCOM, HawkGuard is presented as an already-tested, deployed option for short-range threats, and Fire Storm 250’s firing test illustrates a push to integrate heavier kinetic capability onto tactical unmanned platforms. The record released by the companies leaves clear technical claims on mobility, non-explosive interception and multi-fuel endurance—while leaving range figures for HawkGuard and the Fire Storm 250’s airframe and ammunition load unbeaten territory for procurement officers to confirm in future disclosures.

Original reporting: https://breakingdefense.com/2026/10/israels-iai-unveils-3-new-air-defense-systems-at-ausa/