The Defense Ministry announced Monday it had signed a deal worth hundreds of millions of shekels with Israel Military Industries for the development and acquisition of advanced precision rockets.
"This precision fire capability significantly improves the IDF's capabilities and allows for accurate strikes in remote launches, at immediate availability and at lower costs compared to other combat systems," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The new rockets will include advanced technological systems suitable for modern battlefields.
The procurement follows a directive by Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman to equip the IDF with an array of advanced rockets and missiles covering a range of 30-150 kilometers (18-93 miles).
"We are forging ahead with our plan to set up an array of precision rockets and missiles. Some of them are already in production and some have entered their last research and development stages," Lieberman said Monday.
"We are acquiring and developing high-precision fire systems that will enable us to bolster the IDF's offensive capabilities. In a few years, the IDF will be able to cover every point in the region, be it near or far."
IMI Chairman Yitzhak Aharonovich said, "The innovative rocket systems the IDF will acquire in this deal demonstrate the technological capabilities of the company, which specializes in precision firepower for pinpoint strikes on a variety of ground targets."
Defense officials said the deal, led by the Defense Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure at the Defense Ministry, aims to provide the Israeli Air Force with sufficient ground-based support in case Israel's airports come under attack.
The use of precision rockets on a large scale is designed to counter the threat posed by the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terrorist group as well as reduce the ground forces' overall dependence on the IAF, one defense official said.
