The European country chose Israel – and this is much more than another drone deal

In the first phase, many countries build their capabilities through joint ventures with foreign companies that bring with them knowledge and experience. In the future, they may deepen local production, independently or as part of long-term partnerships.

Serbia’s choice of an Israeli partner reflects the status gained by the Israeli industry in the field, but also the change in customer requirements. Today, a defense deal can include not only the supply of drones but also the transfer of knowledge, the establishment of production lines and the training of local personnel.

This trend also has significance for Israel itself. While in the field of large unmanned aerial vehicles Israel has had significant development and production capabilities for years, in the field of ISR drones, which are used for intelligence, observation and reconnaissance, there is still a dependence on platforms and components made in China. “The security reality illustrates the need to reduce this dependence and to develop a full capability in Israel, starting from the planning and development phase to serial production on large scales, both of small drones and of larger systems.”

Velorix operates in the field through its subsidiary Aero Sentinel, which develops and manufactures in Israel a local ISR drone. According to Bargil, the need for industrial independence is not limited to the large and expensive systems. “Defense independence is also measured by the ability to produce locally the tools that are in daily use in the field,” he says.

According to him, the wars in recent years in the various arenas of the world already illustrate that sometimes it is the ability to independently produce the tools that are in regular use that may decide between success and failure. For Israel, this means reducing dependence on foreign countries, which in times of crisis may limit supplies, delay components or block access to technology, and in a severe scenario even turn from a supplier to an opposing party.