Iranian-made Ababil may have been on its way to crash in Tel Aviv.
By YAAKOV KATZ
At least one of the four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) dispatched by Hizbullah into Israeli airspace during the war in Lebanon carried explosives and was possibly on its way to crash into Tel Aviv, a member of the IDF General Staff revealed on Monday.
On August 7, an F-16 fighter jet shot down an Iranian-made Ababil UAV carrying at least 10 kg. of explosives after it had already infiltrated Israeli airspace and was over Acre.
Three other UAVs were launched at Israel but one crashed shortly after landing, another was shot down over the sea and a third crashed in Israel.
The Ababil has a known range of 150 km., the ability to travel at nearly 300 kph and is capable of carrying a 45 kg. payload.
It can carry surveillance equipment as well as high-grade explosives, which could detonate during a kamikaze-style crash of the UAV into a target.
Hizbullah succeeded in penetrating Israeli airspace with UAVs twice before the recent war with Lebanon. The high-ranking officer said that during the war, defense officials raised concerns that Hizbullah might try to crash a drone carrying explosives into sensitive Israeli targets.
To deal with the threat, the air force combined several preexisting radar systems that, when integrated, succeeded in picking up the drone's low radar signature.