Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amikam Norkin does not mince words when assessing Israel’s most formidable adversary. “Iran has advanced technology – we can’t disparage it,” he warned in an exclusive interview with Defense & Tech by The Jerusalem Post. “After years of handling Russian technology, now we have to handle Iranian technology.”
For the former Israeli Air Force (IAF) commander, Iran’s accelerating capabilities: missiles, drones, cyber, and regional proxies, are not just a strategic challenge. They are a wake‑up call for Israel and its allies to rethink how they build, deploy, and invest in defense technology.
Israel, he insists, must avoid prolonged conflicts. “Israel needs short conflicts, no wars of attrition.”
And it must continue to innovate faster than its adversaries, including Iran.
That urgency framed both his remarks in the interview, his remarks at last week’s Defense-Tech expo in Tel Aviv, and his broader mission today as head of Ace Capital Partners, a defense‑focused investment fund backing early‑stage companies shaping the future battlefield.
From Air Force Commander to defense investor
After retiring from the military in 2022, Norkin became CEO of Ace Capital Partners – a partnership between Key1 Capital and Aerospace Spirit – alongside Brig.-Gen. (res.) Shimon Tsentsiper, Amit Pilowsky, Danny Ackerman, and Sarel Eldor.
“We bring a strong team with over 60 years of investing experience and 60 years of defense and military experience,” Norkin said.
The fund invests in Israeli and global early‑stage companies from seed to Series A, developing dual‑use, aerospace, and defense technologies. It is currently backing four start-ups working on optical sensors for satellites, advanced robotics for ground forces, hybrid engines for vertical take-off and landing aircraft (VTOL), and a deployable VTOL platform in a box for border security and police.
“Defense tech is important for collaboration,” he told D&T. And the timing is ideal. “Three or four years ago, investors didn’t want to deal with defense. Now it’s changed, and there is an opportunity for many VCs.”
The Middle East: ‘Completely different from 2010’
Speaking at Defense.Tech Expo Israel 2026 last week, Norkin described a region transformed by new threats and unprecedented operational demands.
“The Middle East is completely different from 2010,” he said. “Because of that, Israel should be able to manage its defense with a wide range of capabilities.”
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has faced over 17,000 rockets and missiles, as well as hundreds of drones launched by numerous enemies. The scale and diversity of threats, he argued, led Israel to test systems “where it really matters, in the operational arena, including in Iran.”
But it’s not only in the Middle East. Pointing to tensions in Europe and Asia, he told D&T that “the last few years have shown a rise in geopolitical hotspots around the world, and countries have understood that they need to rearm and get ready for war.”
Despite persistent regional instability, Norkin argued that Israel’s ecosystem gives it a competitive edge. “There have always been challenges in the Middle East,” he told D&T, “but there are hundreds of Israeli start-ups with operational experience.”
Norkin believes Israel’s strength lies not only in its capacity for innovation but in its ability to operationalize such innovation. Israel’s recent experience over the past two years, when it handled a seven‑front war on completely different fronts, showed how the military “used the same capabilities and platforms.”
“The real advantage of the Israeli security industry and the air force is not only in technological development,” he said, “but in the professional ability to transform it into relevant and precise operational capability that achieves defined goals.”
He points to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as a prime example. “Israeli UAVs are 100% Israeli technology. The IDF isn’t flying the platform but the mission.”
During the 12-Day War between Iran and Israel in June, known in Israel as Operation Rising Lion, UAVs closed operational loops in an unprecedented fashion. During the war with Iran, 70% of all IAF flight hours were carried out by UAVs as opposed to piloted fighter aircraft like F-35s. The UAVs struck critical targets, including ballistic missile launchers and air defense systems, before they could be fired against Israel.
This is why Israeli defense technology remains in demand even amid diplomatic turbulence, he explained, adding that many governments have understood the "necessity to buy Israeli defense technology.”
A new global defense reality
Norkin situates Israel’s challenges within a broader global shift, where countries are building up defensive capabilities.
“Most nations have understood that they need to defend themselves, and the defense budgets around the world have skyrocketed,” he told D&T. “Countries have understood that they need to rearm and get ready for war.”
“What we see in Ukraine every night with drones, cruise missiles, quadcopters, and UAVs fired by Russia is a new domain,” he said.
Due to the tensions around the world, governments are no longer willing to rely solely on legacy defense contractors. “Governments want more private, more agile companies to be involved in defense, in order to answer battlefield questions. Small companies have unique capabilities and a quick turnaround.”
In facing those challenges, Norkin said at the expo, Israel “can support the world to be a safer place with our air defense capabilities” because “beyond the interceptors are layers of technology.”
And those layers – connectivity, autonomy, sensors, AI, and more – are where Israel must continue to lead.
Next strategic frontier
Looking ahead, Norkin said the next decade of defense will be shaped above all by advances in space and AI, two domains he believes will redefine global deterrence. Connectivity, he added, is now a decisive factor in handling hostile threats.
“Space is an arena that will continue to grow and will be involved in everything,” he told D&T, noting that, unlike fast‑moving defense tech cycles, “it’s a marathon, it takes longer to educate the market on space.”
Concurrently, he insisted, Israel must secure a leading position in AI, which is “integral to everything” from battlefield decision‑making to national resilience.
Together, he said, these technologies will form the backbone of the next generation of defense capabilities and determine which nations maintain a strategic advantage.
Yet, after over 40 years in the Air Force, it’s hard for Norkin not to look to the skies. For him, one principle remains unchanged: “Air superiority is key to winning wars.”