(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – The Israeli Army and the country’s Ministry of Defense are reportedly considering shutting down the operations of the high-altitude intelligence balloon aerostat “Sky Dew” after it was targeted by Hezbollah’s suicide drone in May this year.
According to Jewish newspaper “Israel Hayom,” the intelligence high-altitude aerostat, valued at more than RM1 billion, is difficult to repair and would require a significant amount of time before it can be operational again.
“The Israeli Ministry of Defense and the army are considering canceling the expensive ‘Sky Dew’ project and disbanding the unit responsible for its operation. The reasoning is the unreasonable cost and the two-year timeline required for its repair,” the Israeli newspaper reported.
The decision regarding the “Sky Dew” intelligence aerostat is expected within the next few days, following the experience and lessons learned from the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
However, the Israeli military has refused to acknowledge the vulnerabilities of the intelligence aerostat, claiming that the system was shut down due to adverse weather conditions.
“The system, including the platform developed by the American company TCOM and advanced radar designed by Israel’s Elta, was supplied to the Jewish state as a detection and defense system for the Israeli Air Force,” the newspaper added.
The “Sky Dew” intelligence aerostat was jointly developed by the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, and it was first deployed by the Israeli military in November 2021.
In May, the high-altitude intelligence aerostat “Sky Dew” sustained damage after being hit by a Hezbollah suicide drone.
Israeli military sources informed the media that “Sky Dew,” which is capable of detecting targets up to 250km away, was damaged following the drone attack. There are even reports from Israeli media suggesting that the “Sky Dew” aerostat was shot down.
In January, the Israeli military had to relaunch the high-altitude monitoring aerostat for airspace surveillance in the northern part of the country, just a day after its Meron military base on Mount Jarmak was heavily damaged by Hezbollah rockets and missiles.
The last time Israel deployed the high-altitude monitoring aerostat named “Sky Dew” to detect drones, missiles, and aircraft in the northern part of the country was in 2022, before it was decommissioned.
“Israel’s hasty decision to relaunch ‘Sky Dew’ in January after a year of inactivity indicates the severe impact on the Jewish state’s monitoring and intelligence capabilities in the north after the Meron military base on Mount Jarmak was bombarded by Hezbollah,” an observer commented. — DSA