Israel on Thursday unveiled a new state-of-the-art defense system that uses electromagnetic beams to down targets.
The "Scorpius" system was developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and is efficient in eliminating both ground and aerial threats.
Scorpius can shoot down enemy planes and missiles without firing a single missile, making its operational debut during the Israeli Air Force’s (IAF) international "Blue Flag" training exercise last month.
The system is able to scan the entire surrounding area for targets and deploys narrowly focused beams to counter multiple aerial and ground threats simultaneously. It is also able to disrupt various electromagnetic systems, including radar, electronic sensors, navigation and data communications.
To this day, an electronic block could knock down friendly aircraft or disrupt a ground electronic activity defined as "uninvolved", because the electronic warfare forces operated in restricted area cells, and as a result, it was very difficult to distinguish between hostile and friendly targets.
The new 'Scorpius' system
(Footage: Israel Aerospace Industries)
The new Scorpius system, however, is able to scan large airspace and launch an offensive beam that will "blind" the missile, the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), the fighter jet, or drones without confusing the enemy aircraft with friendly ones in the same airspace.
As part of the development of the system, ELTA Systems, which specializes in innovative defense products and services, and are a part of the IAI, developed the "multi-beam" technology, that is able to stare at the designated airspace, and according to the information it gathers, the system launches a narrow attack beam at the target.
The ability of the Scorpius system is efficient against advanced enemy missiles from anti-aircraft arrays such as the Russian S-300 and S-400 deployed in Syria.
In the international exercise, the new system simulated these advanced anti-aircraft systems, increasing the effectiveness of fighter aircraft—particularly those of generation 5, such as the F-35 stealth fighter.
The IAI defines Scorpius as a historic leap in electronic warfare. As of today, only the United States is trying to achieve such an ability. And while the Russians have the most similar system to the Israeli one, their system is only able to target a particular area, and using a powerful electronic cannon hit every aircraft inside it.