The Israeli navy is set to begin deploying highly maneuverable unmanned craft called “the Protector” along the Mediterranean coast, particularly off the Hamas-held Gaza Strip in the south and Lebanon in the north where Hizbullah guerrillas operate. Built by Rafael Advanced Systems, the Protector is one of the new systems acquired by the navy and can carry a wide range of payloads, including cameras, sensors and weapons.
According to a report by Official Wire, the ships are operated remotely from land stations and can carry out a wide range of missions while evading detection. "There are areas that the navy preferred to first enter in an unmanned capacity before a manned capacity," The Jerusalem Post quoted a senior navy officer as saying in reference to the Gaza and Lebanon sectors.