Israel Weapons Industry says Thailand has deployed its ARBEL Anti-Drone System after integrating it with existing rifles and completing on-site training. The delivery gives the Israeli manufacturer an operational reference in Southeast Asia as it pursues additional business in a region where governments are placing greater emphasis on counter-drone capabilities.
IWI told Breaking Defense that four nations in Southeast Asia are currently at different stages of the procurement process for ARBEL. The company did not identify the other countries or disclose the value, quantities or expected delivery schedules of those potential acquisitions.
“We are seeing strong demand for our platforms and systems across the region.”
IWI said in an October statement that Thailand’s Ministry of Defense received the system. The company said on October 22 that ARBEL had been integrated into Thailand’s existing rifles and that IWI had provided training at the deployment site. According to the company, the system is now operational for daytime and nighttime use.
Designed for existing small-arms platforms
ARBEL is available for AR-15-type platforms, light machine guns and as a standalone anti-drone system, according to IWI. The company says the configuration allows personnel to use familiar rifle platforms rather than requiring an entirely separate weapon system. IWI also describes the system as “optics-agnostic,” meaning it is intended to work with different optical configurations.
- Thailand’s Ministry of Defense has received and deployed the ARBEL Anti-Drone System.
- The system was integrated into existing rifles, followed by on-site training from IWI.
- Four other Southeast Asian nations are described by IWI as being at different procurement stages.
The company’s regional expansion reflects the growing attention being paid to small unmanned aircraft by military organizations. IWI said customers are increasingly raising countering drones as a pressing concern, while SK Group executives described small tactical drones as a direct and growing battlefield threat. Those statements describe the company and parent group’s assessment of customer demand; they do not establish an independent evaluation of ARBEL’s performance.
“Following integration into its existing rifles and on-site training by IWI, the ARBEL ADS has been deployed and is now operational for day and night use.”
IWI is part of Israel’s SK Group. The company said the ARBEL is being offered as Southeast Asian militaries give greater priority to counter-drone equipment. Its comments point to a procurement market that is developing country by country, rather than through a single regional acquisition program. No timetable or contract terms were provided for the four additional nations.
