IDF to substantially increase precision missile arsenal

The IDF will significantly increase the number of precision munitions in its arsenal in the coming years now that a state budget has been finalized.

The number of munitions that the Israeli military will purchase from the United States will be substantially larger than what the IDF previously held due to the increase in threats facing the country as well as due to the increase in targets gathered by the military.

Israel purchased tens of thousands of precision-guided munitions (PGMs) from the United States in recent years and used hundreds of Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) during Operation Guardian of the Walls in May, leading to precision strikes on targets in the densely populated Gaza Strip. 

Though all JDAMs have been replenished by Washington, a senior officer told The Jerusalem Post that with the passing of the budget the military plans to acquire far more than ever before by 2024.

The military will increase that number by even more by 2030.

“Our ability to create targets improves from operation to operation,” the officer said. “Our target bank is much larger than it was in the past and we need accurate munitions.”

Though Washington replenished Israel’s JDAM stockpile, the Americans are not willing to provide Israel with every request the senior officer said.

The IDF has been busy gathering thousands of targets in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and even Iran over the past two years expecting rounds of violence to break out at any moment. The use of such extremely precise munitions allows Israel to hit strategic targets in a crowded civilian environment with relatively small civilian casualty figures. 

During the 11 days of fighting in May, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said at least 243 Palestinians were killed during the fighting, including 66 children and teens, with 1,910 people wounded. Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar said that that 80 operatives were killed during the fighting-57 from Hamas and 22 from Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The Israeli military says over 100 operatives belonging to the terror groups were killed and that some of the civilian casualties were caused by Hamas rockets falling short or civilian homes collapsing after an airstrike on Hamas’s tunnel network.

In addition to the large increase in precision weaponry the IDF plans to purchase, some NIS 5 billion of the budget will go exclusively to what the IDF calls “Third Circle Threats”, usually a reference to Iran. The funds will be allocated to intelligence gathering capabilities, increasing the military’s target bank even further, and training.

Israel considers Iran’s nuclear program as the number one challenge and though Iran has consistently denied seeking to build a nuclear bomb, tensions have risen as the West seeks to resume talks on reviving the deal to curb Tehran’s nuclear program.

In the past year, there has been an increase in the number of war-between-war operations carried out by Israel as well as a number of targets struck, with most airstrikes targeting Iranian entrenchment and weapon smuggling in Syria and even at sea.

It is estimated that alleged Israeli attacks against Iranian ships have stopped between $1.2-2 billion from going to terror groups in the Middle East.

But the IDF has admitted that Iran’s conventional missile threat is a major concern for Israel which, despite its multi-layered air defenses, may not be able to contend with intensive missile barrages fired by Iran and its proxy groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon or Shiite militias in Iraq.

The budget will also allow the IDF to complete other important defensive projects such as building the wall along the border with Lebanon and implementing a permanent defensive coverage in the airspace of northern Israel with additional fixed Iron Dome batteries that would be able to shoot down incoming drones or missiles.