An Israeli invention will soon be changing the world of field intelligence technology- the IDF’s Field Intelligence Corps’s “Granite” vehicle.
Developed by ELTA Systems Ltd. and based on the Ford 550 model, the vehicle is unlike the “Raccoon” observation vehicle, already in IDF possession, which scans back and forth in order to cover 360 degrees. Instead, the “Granite” combines synchronized radars and observation tools that scan the entire area at all times and focus automatically on every suspicious target. Additionally, the “Granite” has even better armor protection than the “Raccoon”.
The introduction of the Granit is not only an advancement in technology, but will also reduce the number of soldiers required to scout a restricted field from two to one, combining the roles of observing an area and focusing on suspicious activity.
Major Nir, Head of the Mobile Observation Department of the IDF’s Field Intelligence Corps, stated that the use of high-tech radars doesn’t undermine the human element and the operating soldier: “It’s true that the Granite system makes it easier for our soldiers to pay closer attention to the field surrounding them, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s the soldiers that investigate each and every threat to its core.”
Another important feature of the technology is the synchronization among all the combat units deployed within the same mission. “Once the Granite gets a proper image of the threat, we can immediately send it to the tank and the aircraft that are also in the battlefield” says Major Nir.
