A First – Israel uses laser-guided Iron Sting mortar

The precision munition, years in the making, has struck both Hamas and Hezbollah targets in the ongoing war.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

The IDF has rolled out a new weapon called the Iron Sting in its war with Hamas, which can hit its target more accurately than ever before due to its laser-guidance and GPS systems, the army announced Sunday.

On the fourth day of what is being called Operation Iron Swords, the elite Maglan unit fired the specialized 120mm mortar munition at a Hamas launching site in Gaza that was firing its deadly rockets at Israel.

The video released by the IDF shows a successful strike as the site goes up in smoke.

According to Ynet, the Maglan team, made up of reservists, soon transferred its attention to the north, where Hezbollah has been stepping up its rocket attacks and individual engagements with IDF troops at the northern border.

Iron Sting has struck junctions in Lebanon where terrorist cells gathered, as well as stationary targets near the border.

So far, only 12 such mortars have been fired, but Maj. N., head of the team, said, “We have plenty of ammunition and are asking for more targets from intelligence. We are even prepared to fire from within Gaza during a maneuver.”

The Sting’s manufacturer, Elbit Systems, is ramping up production in order to supply them to all mortar divisions in the near future.

The precision of the new mortar now equals that of laser-guided missiles, but is much less expensive to produce. It will allow the army to hit military targets embedded in civilian and urban centers, where Hamas regularly hides its terrorist command posts, munitions, launchers and weapons factories, without harming innocents in nearby buildings.

If the IDF invades the Gaza Strip on the ground to utterly destroy the terror organization’s capabilities as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared Israel will do, the Iron Sting will be another weapon that can travel with the troops, as in its test run in 2021 the system was mounted on an armored personnel carrier and Hummer 4X4 SUV.

After the munition’s successful trial, Brig. Gen. Yaniv Rotem, who heads R&D in the Department of Defense, said, “Ten years of research and development have led us to this moment when we can provide the IDF’s ground forces with advanced capabilities made for the modern battlefield.

“This laser and GPS-guided mortar munition provides troops with a precise firing capability that has only been implemented in missiles and air munition thus far. This is a very complex program and a groundbreaking system on the international level.”

defense technologyIDFIsraeli innovationlaser technologymortarOperation Iron Swords