An Israeli state-owned weapons manufacturer that makes missiles, drones, and other weapons systems for the Israeli military.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems is a large Israeli state-owned weapons manufacturer that makes missiles, drones, and other weapons systems for the Israeli military.
The Israeli military has used Rafael Spike Guided Missiles extensively to target—from the air and ground—people inside buildings in the Gaza Strip. The Spike missile family includes many configurations, such as ground missiles for use by infantry soldiers and air-to-ground missiles that can be mounted on aircraft and drones.
On April 1, 2024, an Hermes 450 drone targeted three vehicles of the humanitarian organization World Central Kitchen near Dier al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. The attack resulted in the killing of seven aid workers—individuals from Palestine, Australia, Poland, and the U.K., as well as a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada—who were managing food shipments. The Hermes 450 can carry four air-to-ground Spike missiles, and the damage from this attack was consistent with Spike missles.
The Israeli military has also used the Matador (RGW 90) portable shoulder-fired anti-tank rocket in Gaza, specifically by infantry soldiers to destroy buildings from the ground. The rockets are made by German company Dynamit Nobel Defence (DND), a subsidiary of Rafael, and co-developed with the Singaporean government. In 2023, the German government approved the export of some $27 million worth of weapons to Israel, including 3,000 portable anti-tank weapons—presumably the Matador.
The Orbiter 4, Israel's newest killer drone, which was developed by Rafael subsidiary Aeronautics, was used operationally for the first time in Gaza on November 8, 2023.
Rafael's Trophy Active Protection System for armored vehicles enables Israel's battle tanks to go into Gaza and avoid being damaged by anti-tank weapons. The company markets the system as one that "increases the lethality of combat forces."
Rafael collaborated with the Israeli military to develop the Spark, a new unmanned drone used to carry out intelligence missions, escort ground forces, and direct strikes. After first being received by the Israeli Air Force in September 2023, Spark drones have reportedly been assisting Israeli combat teams in Gaza and acting as a "force multiplier on the battlefield."