New drone unit opens in the IDF’s secretive Unit 9900

A new drone unit which will serve under the IDF’s secretive Intelligence Division’s VISINT 9900 Unit, was officially opened on Wednesday.

Unit 9900 is responsible for gathering visual intelligence including geographical data from satellites and aircraft, as well as mapping and interpreting the visual intelligence for troops on the battlefield as well as decision-makers.

The operations of Unit 9900, which serves a critical role for the military by shaping its intelligence map, are usually kept confidential.

The IDF’s Intelligence Directorate has internalized the endless potential and growing trend of using unmanned aircrafts. The drone unit which opened on Wednesday will be responsible for gathering high-precision intelligence at high resolutions using multi-rotor drones and other advanced technologies.

“The unit will be a significant multiplier of 9900’s ability to provide geo-visual intelligence. The relative advantage of using multi-rotor drones is the ability to operate under varying conditions such as day and night, changing weather conditions and the fact that these are relatively cheap and available tools,” the IDF said in a statement provided to The Jerusalem Post.

About a week ago, a General Staff administration that oversees intelligence-enriched warfare opened in the intelligence directorate. It was formed under the IDF’s Momentum multi-year program which aims to make the military more lethal in scope and accuracy and improve the IDF’s combat abilities against the “disappearing enemy” on the battlefield.

The new administration, headed by the commander of Unit 9900, will gather under one roof in a multi-dimensional manner with troops and officers from various other units from fields of technology, reconnaissance, research, and more.

The head of the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate, Maj.-Gen. Tamir Heyman, said that their mission would be to “make intelligence available to combat forces in the field in a way that can best meet the challenge of exposing the enemy.”

According to the new concept, intelligence will be integrated within the combat systems and will reach the troops effectively; providing the soldiers on the frontlines with accurate images of the enemy, field analyses, assessments about the enemy, and recommendations on how to attack in an effective manner.

“This will make it possible to focus operational efforts in a way that makes fighting more lethal, efficient, and fast,” the IDF said.

The military believes it is of utmost importance to build the military for threats it will face some 30 years in the future and built the new multi-year plan accordingly, with new concepts and methods of warfare that have been adapted to the challenges of the urban battlefield saturated with enemy fire.

According to the IDF, while there remains a gap between the IDF and her enemies, it is closing quickly and Israel needs to take advantage of the strategic opportunity to stay one step ahead of the enemy by making the necessary changes to the military.