‘Technological difficulties are holding back progress’ on project to replace soldiers with robots
The project to develop robots capable of locating and attacking enemy fighters on the Gaza border is not moving forward as expected, officers from the Israeli military’s Southern Command told Israeli media on Tuesday.
Included within the program are different autonomous vehicles that can cooperate for enhanced operational effectiveness, such as quadcopters for aerial observation of the border fence, and ground drones that can be controlled remotely to patrol the area.
Although the Southern Command publicly bragged about the project last summer, some officers quoted by the Jerusalem Post said that “technological difficulties are holding back progress and opinions differ as to how to proceed to resolve them, which is not allowing the situation to move forward. ”
The project is currently in the development phase, and is not the only research of its type.
“The defense industries are mobilized alongside the army corps concerned,” said a military spokesperson, in reaction to statements by officers of the Southern Command.
“It should be noted that certain elements developed within the framework of the project have already been implemented. This is an innovative and complex operation which aims to strengthen the border security of the Jewish state through technological means. Questions of timing, budget and decision-making are defined with the Defense Ministry, as is the case for any project of this type,” the spokesperson concluded.
An uneasy standoff exists between Gaza and Israel following an eleven day conflict between them in May.