WATCH: IDF tests new precision artillery shell
New 'smart' projectile can penetrate concrete walls and could be used to take out terrorists holed up in buildings without risking troops' lives.
The IDF has successfully tested a new, classified artillery shell recently, which the army says could be used to take out a terrorist cell holed up in a room without endangering troops by sending them in.
The shell, which can penetrate through concrete walls, is currently in advanced stages of development.
The test was conducted in the heart of central Israel, at a huge firing range where the army tries out all IDF weaponry.
Cameras installed for the test captured it from multiple angles and in slow motion, in order to carefully examine every stage.
The IDF's Artillery Corps is expected to undergo a complete overhaul in the coming years, with the retirement of outdated systems and deployment of more and more precision-guided munitions.
"Dumb" shells will still be used to soften targets, provide cover for ground troops, and other functions – but the army has already begun using more precision munitions as a cheap, quick and readily available substitute to Air Force missiles and bombing.
This year, the IDF successfully tested the GPS-guided "Lance" rocket – a test shown in a video first published on Ynet.
"Every weapon, from 5.56 millimeter bullet used in soldiers' rifles to tanks, is tested and inspected before it reaches the troops," a senior IDF officer told Ynet. "Every bullet or surveillance device goes through an arduous series of tests before it is given to troops in order to assure its quality and reliability."
