Israeli company opening up UAE possibilities

“We are encouraged by yet another concrete step in strengthening Rafael's ties with the UAE,” said president and CEO, Yoav Har-Even.

“We can now say that we have built the bridge to the UAE by this inaugural investment and are excited to continue to expand the relationships that have been cultivated thus far.”

The Gulf is a new market for Israel in the wake of the Abraham Accords, which saw the Jewish state improve diplomatic relations with several Arab neighbours.

The company will be displaying its defence capabilities at IDEX, including, for the first time in the UAE, its Iron Beam high-energy laser weapon.

The technology, designed in Israel, augments the capabilities of the Iron Dome air defence system.

The company will also be displaying the Spyder air defence system, which has been upgraded to allow for the counter ballistic missile capability through an extended range of the Derby LR missile, and its NLOS mission task force (NMT), which utilises the world’s first sixth-generation missile, the Spike NLOS.

Other systems being highlighted at IDEX include the Drone Dome, Fire Weaver, and Litening-5 – the world’s most widely used targeting and navigation pod.

The company’s new space capabilities will be represented through the Litesat electro-optical Earth observation system, which functions as a microsatellite to provide high-resolution, geospatial data.