A number of European countries have sought details from the Israeli ministry of defence about the capabilities of the Oron special mission aircraft that has been operated extensively since the war broke out on Oct. 7 2023.
A few days after the war broke out, the Israeli airforce (IAF) added its newest reconnaissance aircraft to the wide net of airborne sensors it is operating. The emergency introduction of the aircraft into a very complicated war scenario enabled Israel to deal with some heavy attacks, including the one in which Iran launched over 350 Ballistic and cruise missiles and armed drones to hit sensitive targets in Israel. The Oron enabled the Israeli defence forces (IDF) to get an early warning about the massive attack when it was operated "very far away" from Israel together with other airborne and space sensors.
The Oron is a Gulfstream G-550 that is packed with a variety of high end sensors. "The Oron was a major part of the Israeli readiness to this attack," an Israeli source said. He added that about 90 % of the Iranian weapons launched were intercepted by fighter aircraft over other countries and by the Israeli multi-tiered air defence system. "Never before has a fighter aircraft succeeded to kill swarms of armed drones, and that too far from Israeli territory."
Israeli official sources were reluctant to say where and how far from Israel the armed drones were intercepted but it can be understood that one of the systems that enabled this was the Oron.
According to Elta , the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) electronic subsidiary that designed and built the advanced sensor suit , the new aircraft is capable of performing missions similar to the JSTARS aircraft of the U.S airforce , but with increased qualities. The four antennas of the AESA / SAR radar – two on the sides of the aircraft , one on its nose and one on its tail - cover 360 degrees. Elta was reluctant to add technical details but a source said that some of the sensors were developed specifically for the aircraft. He added that the AESA radar is capable of covering "thousands of square kilometers" with high resolution.
When the first Oron was delivered to the IAF, it was pointed out that the aircraft's sensors are capable of performing all its missions from standoff ranges and from high altitudes.
Elta said that the resolution of the sensors and their increased range create an excellent terrain dominance.
Unlike other reconnaissance aircraft operated by the IAF, most of the huge amount of data received from the sensors is processed on board Oron. This enables the units on ground, in the air, and at sea to hit targets almost immediately. An Israeli defence source said that since the war broke out , the Oron has performed well over 250 sorties and "flew in airspaces never before visited by Israel spy planes."
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