The cannon can reportedly shoot a staggering 6,000 rounds in just one minute, and has six 20mm barrels.
By World Israel News Staff
Hezbollah terrorists have launched hundreds of explosive drones at Israeli communities and military targets over the past year of fighting.
Drones have proved a particularly tricky target for Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system to intercept, as the UAVs fly at low altitudes – oftentimes, literally under the radar.
Earlier in October, an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah struck Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea, underscoring the threat posed by this new type of warfare.
Just days before that incident, a suicide UAV struck a Golani Brigade training base in northern Israel, killing four soldiers.
But according to reports, Israel has now deployed a new weapon aimed at curbing the Hezbollah drone threat.
The M61 Vulcan cannon is now operational along Israel’s northern border, according to Hebrew-language outlet Ma’ariv.
The cannon can reportedly shoot a staggering 6,000 rounds in just one minute, and has six 20mm barrels.
While this particular cannon was manufactured by the Israeli Tamar Group, an older version of the M61 Vulcan was originally provided to Israel by the U.S. during the 1967 Yom Kippur War.
However, Israel only began using the cannon during the 1982 First Lebanon War.
According to Ma’ariv, the efficacy of the Vulcan cannon is unclear. Due to the hilly terrain of the northern border region, some IDF officials are concerned that the weapon may not be able to effectively shoot down drones.
Several weeks ago, the Ministry of Defense issued an unusual statement calling on Israeli weapons manufacturers and technology companies to create or suggest a solution that can improve the IDF’s ability to intercept UAVs.
“The Israel Air Force has not built a proper force to deal with drone threats on such a large scale, despite the significant successes in the North,” a senior reserve officer recently told Walla.
“It’s a fundamental issue. We ended up in a situation where four fighter jets and a missile ship – at best – are chasing one drone.”