“I Offed Two Hamas Terrorists and Saved One of Our Teams”
Dan Arkin visited Squadron 147, the “Goring Ram,” which operates Hermes 900 UAVs, and returned with insights about fighting in Gaza
Dan Arkin
| 15/04/2024
Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
"Two operatives (terrorists) stood 45 meters away from Maglan fighters. I killed both, and saved the team.”
"I can contact the squad commander sitting inside the tank directly and tell him to move left or right. This way, I can distance him from an enemy I see but he doesn't.
"A person is moving in the area. Is he a terrorist or one of ours? I establish contact with him, he responds, I instruct him to raise his hands, to move his hands from right to left to see if he understands me. He complies. He is one of ours.”
These three quotes are true stories fresh from the ongoing Swords of Iron War, told by the Israeli Air Force’s “Star” UAV operators. They converse with the combatants on the ground in Gaza as if they were right next to them, when they are hundreds of miles away.
Elbit System’s Hermes 900, the “Star,”, is the second largest UAV in the IDF, following “Eitan,” by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). Third in line is the Hermes 450 (the “Zik”), also manufactured by Elbit.
The “Zik” is an experienced UAV that has been through wars. Its younger brother, the “Star”, is relatively new. Squadron 147, the “Goring Ram,” was officially established on April 7th of this year. Just hours after the official announcement, it already received its first operation order.
"We are operating in Rafah," testifies Squadron Commander, Lt. Col. A., during an Israel Defense visit to the squadron at Palmachim Airbase. "We are in contact with the maneuvering forces there. We know the plans and carry out the missions."
Lt. Col. A, 38, a married father of two from Ra'anana, says that when he was introduced to the domain of unmanned aircraft, he understood that this was the future. He underwent an operators' course and served in Squadrons 161 and 166, where he held various commanding roles.
In December 2023 the establishment team began operating, and on April 7th, Squadron 147 was officially established, following a process of differentiation between the “Zik” and “Star” squadrons. "Since we started, we have carried out many operations," says the squadron commander. "We operate in all sectors: in the south, in the north, in the Gaza Strip, and in other areas, including defending the Eilat area.We operate differently in each sector. There's ongoing security, there are attacks, and there's data gathering.”
The “Star” and the “Zik” are of the same UAV family, but everything is doubled in the “Star”: It is roughly double the size of the “Zik” and carries about twice as much armament. In addition, the “Star” has more advanced avionics and is quiet, while the “Zik” is noisy. In many scenarios, a quiet unmanned flight is required, where it won't be heard.
"I am stealthy at low altitudes," says A. "For example, when it comes to an area like a village at night, there is a significant advantage for ‘Star’, the quiet UAV, over the ‘Zik’, which is an amazing but noisy war machine."
How does the “Star” squadron operate? A team of two is appointed, a commander and an operator. They man the control cabin and can communicate with the drone’s end users. Somewhere in the vicinity of the aircraft stands the external pilot, controlling the drone using joysticks. He is in visual contact with the aircraft, receives the command "authorized to take off," opens the throttle, and disconnects the “Star”, which takes off.
In the initial stage, it is controlled manually. The “Star “is a UAV capable of prolonged endurance in the air, ranging from 36 to 40 hours, with an average mission lasting about four hours. Afterward, it can be deployed for another mission or return home.
The special relationship between the UAVs and their end users, the forces operating on the ground, is defined as a partnership. These days, the use of the traditional term "air support" for ground forces is decreasing.
"Our tools provide the combatants with real-time visuals. The UAV maintains a continuous intelligence stream on the target," says Lt. Col. A. One drone can stay above a target for an extended period, observe, photograph, and attack – and other UAVs can replace it to maintain a sequence, thus ensuring continuous coverage of the target without interruption.
Squadron 147 is a mirror of Israeli society, as it includes both male and female members, a former ultra-Orthodox female soldier, and secular and religious individuals, spanning a wide age range from 22 to 57 years old. Some of the squadron members are former aircrew members or soldiers who completed one year of the IAF’s elite flight course.
Lieutenant Colonel A. states that "A ‘Star’ UAV operator must possess self-control, self-investigation abilities, not repeat mistakes, have strong technical and verbal operation capabilities, and possess a warrior's ethos. Although the UAV operator is physically distant from the consumer in the combat zone, they must be able to feel that they, as operators, are present on the ground.
"When I'm in position, I really feel like I'm there inside Gaza. We're part of the maneuvering forces, and that's how we guide the teams. I know and see what's happening there far below, and I speak with them in their language, the language of codes and combat maneuvers."
Dan Arkin visited Squadron 147, the “Goring Ram,” which operates Hermes 900 UAVs, and returned with insights about fighting in Gaza
Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
"Two operatives (terrorists) stood 45 meters away from Maglan fighters. I killed both, and saved the team.”
"I can contact the squad commander sitting inside the tank directly and tell him to move left or right. This way, I can distance him from an enemy I see but he doesn't.
"A person is moving in the area. Is he a terrorist or one of ours? I establish contact with him, he responds, I instruct him to raise his hands, to move his hands from right to left to see if he understands me. He complies. He is one of ours.”
These three quotes are true stories fresh from the ongoing Swords of Iron War, told by the Israeli Air Force’s “Star” UAV operators. They converse with the combatants on the ground in Gaza as if they were right next to them, when they are hundreds of miles away.
Elbit System’s Hermes 900, the “Star,”, is the second largest UAV in the IDF, following “Eitan,” by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). Third in line is the Hermes 450 (the “Zik”), also manufactured by Elbit.
The “Zik” is an experienced UAV that has been through wars. Its younger brother, the “Star”, is relatively new. Squadron 147, the “Goring Ram,” was officially established on April 7th of this year. Just hours after the official announcement, it already received its first operation order.
"We are operating in Rafah," testifies Squadron Commander, Lt. Col. A., during an Israel Defense visit to the squadron at Palmachim Airbase. "We are in contact with the maneuvering forces there. We know the plans and carry out the missions."
Lt. Col. A, 38, a married father of two from Ra'anana, says that when he was introduced to the domain of unmanned aircraft, he understood that this was the future. He underwent an operators' course and served in Squadrons 161 and 166, where he held various commanding roles.
In December 2023 the establishment team began operating, and on April 7th, Squadron 147 was officially established, following a process of differentiation between the “Zik” and “Star” squadrons. "Since we started, we have carried out many operations," says the squadron commander. "We operate in all sectors: in the south, in the north, in the Gaza Strip, and in other areas, including defending the Eilat area.We operate differently in each sector. There's ongoing security, there are attacks, and there's data gathering.”
The “Star” and the “Zik” are of the same UAV family, but everything is doubled in the “Star”: It is roughly double the size of the “Zik” and carries about twice as much armament. In addition, the “Star” has more advanced avionics and is quiet, while the “Zik” is noisy. In many scenarios, a quiet unmanned flight is required, where it won't be heard.
"I am stealthy at low altitudes," says A. "For example, when it comes to an area like a village at night, there is a significant advantage for ‘Star’, the quiet UAV, over the ‘Zik’, which is an amazing but noisy war machine."
How does the “Star” squadron operate? A team of two is appointed, a commander and an operator. They man the control cabin and can communicate with the drone’s end users. Somewhere in the vicinity of the aircraft stands the external pilot, controlling the drone using joysticks. He is in visual contact with the aircraft, receives the command "authorized to take off," opens the throttle, and disconnects the “Star”, which takes off.
In the initial stage, it is controlled manually. The “Star “is a UAV capable of prolonged endurance in the air, ranging from 36 to 40 hours, with an average mission lasting about four hours. Afterward, it can be deployed for another mission or return home.
The special relationship between the UAVs and their end users, the forces operating on the ground, is defined as a partnership. These days, the use of the traditional term "air support" for ground forces is decreasing.
"Our tools provide the combatants with real-time visuals. The UAV maintains a continuous intelligence stream on the target," says Lt. Col. A. One drone can stay above a target for an extended period, observe, photograph, and attack – and other UAVs can replace it to maintain a sequence, thus ensuring continuous coverage of the target without interruption.
Squadron 147 is a mirror of Israeli society, as it includes both male and female members, a former ultra-Orthodox female soldier, and secular and religious individuals, spanning a wide age range from 22 to 57 years old. Some of the squadron members are former aircrew members or soldiers who completed one year of the IAF’s elite flight course.
Lieutenant Colonel A. states that "A ‘Star’ UAV operator must possess self-control, self-investigation abilities, not repeat mistakes, have strong technical and verbal operation capabilities, and possess a warrior's ethos. Although the UAV operator is physically distant from the consumer in the combat zone, they must be able to feel that they, as operators, are present on the ground.
"When I'm in position, I really feel like I'm there inside Gaza. We're part of the maneuvering forces, and that's how we guide the teams. I know and see what's happening there far below, and I speak with them in their language, the language of codes and combat maneuvers."
