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Photo: Reuters
Natural gas rig off the coast of Ashdod
Photo: Reuters

Israel to purchase NIS 1.5 billion in weapons systems to defend gas rigs

Minister of Defense says lucrative deal, designed to defend offshore natural gas rigs, will see billions poured into the state's economy and support thousands of families.

The Defense Ministry's Procurement and Production Directorate is set to purchase weapons systems from the Israeli defense industry to protect the offshore natural gas rigs in Israel's territorial waters to the tune of NIS 1.5 billion, the ministry said Sunday.

 

 

The procurement deals will be finalized by the end of 2017 and include a variety of systems for interception, cyber warfare, control and command, communications, navigations, and more. These systems will be installed on the four patrol ships purchased from Germany.

 

The Defense Ministry said the goal is to have all of the systems ready for installation by the time the first ships are delivered to Israel in 2019.

 

Natural gas rig off the coast of Ashdod (Photo: Reuters)
Natural gas rig off the coast of Ashdod (Photo: Reuters)

 

This acquisition constitutes half of the budget approved by the government for the defense of Israel's economic zone.

 

Two initial tenders for this project have recently concluded.

 

The Petah Tikva-based Astronautics won a bid to develop and supply a navigation data distribution system for the Sa'ar 6-class corvettes. The system will gather the different navigational data using sensors installed on the ship and provide the best data to the different units aboard the ship using advanced and unique sensor fusion software.

 

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, meanwhile, won a bid to develop an internal and external communication system for the ships.

 

Commenting on the deal, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that the deal would see vast sums of money pour into the coffers of both the state and families.

 

“The Defense Ministry and the defense industries are among the main engines of growth in Israel. These procurement transactions are for the good of the economic water project—the project in which the IDF will protect the gas rigs, and it is extremely significant for the state's defense and security,” Lieberman said.

 

“That’s why there is tremendous importance in continuing investment in defense industries, which provides a living for tens of thousands of families and brings in billions of dollars for the state’s economy every year.”

 


פרסום ראשון: 07.09.17, 17:55
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