Israeli defense company looks to AI as game-changer in space and weapons

Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and big data will have a significant role in space technology and defense systems developed by the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in the near future.

A new collaboration with Matrix, announced last week, suggests that IAI is looking to expand its operations and develop new automated systems for its various space technology programs, as well as for its defense systems aimed at providing a comparative advantage for troops on the future battlefield.

Matrix is an Israeli company that specializes in “providing comprehensive multi-disciplinary consulting services.” With over 20 years of experience and more than 10,000 employees across the globe, the company is considered one of Israel’s leading strategic consultants for technological-based solutions. The company’s Defense Branch has worked with the IDF on various projects in the past and serves the Israeli defense establishment at large.

The agreement signed between IAI and Matrix includes the establishment of an R&D center that will focus on developing technologies based on AI, machine learning and big data and integrating them into existing systems. The center’s first projects will attempt to integrate AI-based solutions in automated systems for identifying targets on the battlefield in real time.

IAI has been working with and developing AI technology for years. However, the new center will allow the company to dramatically expand its existing R&D capacity in various fields and to pursue projects that had previously been impossible. The center will be operated by a team comprising both IAI and Matrix specialists from various fields of expertise.

Inbal Kreiss, head of innovation at IAI’s Missiles & Space Division, noted the practical benefits that the collaboration between IAI and Matrix will have on the company’s future endeavors.

“This collaboration is part of new innovation processes being promoted by the IAI with the purpose of developing and integrating novel technologies, increasing the financial and technological value of our projects and creating new impacts on operational systems used by our clients,” Kreiss said.

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