Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) has long been the home of legendary firearms such as the Uzi, the Galil and the Negev. But today the spotlight is on something entirely new: the Arbel anti-drone system.
The system is deceptively simple. Built directly into the AR-15 platform, it allows soldiers to use their existing rifles, optics and ammunition without any special gear. An IWI shooting instructor demonstrated the system’s basic operation: “I can operate the system and the gun at the same time.”
What Arbel does is revolutionary: an electronic trigger and internal computer take over after the first shot, firing only when the shooter is stable on target.
INSIDE ISRAEL’S ARBEL
(ILTV)
“I’m going to show you first the Arbel mode. Now keep in mind, I press down the trigger, keep holding it… My follow-up shot will only be when I am actually together again on the target,” the instructor said.
That stabilization transforms a nearly impossible task — hitting a moving drone at 250 meters — into something achievable for any trained shooter. Tests show hit probability rising from around 5% to over 70%.
Semion, head of Europe at SK Group, whose full name could not be used for security reasons, warned that the drone threat has accelerated in recent years.
“Small tactical drones are a very simple, very cheap solution from the enemy’s side,” he said.
These drones can drop grenades, spy on troop movements and sow fear. For armies across Europe — from Ukraine to Poland — and for countries confronting terror groups, Arbel offers a critical, low-cost answer.
“They don’t need to change their optics, they don’t need to change the way they use the rifle… All they need to do is aim at the target, pull the trigger, keep it pulled, and now concentrate only on correctly aiming,” Semion added.
Built on necessity, Israel’s defense industry is turning that necessity into innovation — and the Arbel may be the next export the world can’t ignore.