IDF Forms Drone Corps as Border Threats Spread

The IDF has decided to establish a corps dedicated to defending against low-altitude drones, which Hamas and Hezbollah have used against Israeli forces and civilians, while smugglers have used them along Israel’s borders. IDF Ground Forces Commander Maj.-Gen. Nadav Lotan is working to establish the new corps, Walla learned on Tuesday. Initially, the plan will draw on five existing border infantry battalions.

A threat across Israel’s borders

The drone threat became evident during Hamas attacks along the Gaza border at the beginning of the war and during the initial stages of the IDF’s ground maneuver deep into the Gaza Strip. Hezbollah later used drones against IDF troops in southern Lebanon and civilians on Israel’s home front. The article doesn’t detail casualties from those drone attacks.

Smugglers have also used drones to carry weapons and drugs across the Egyptian and Jordanian borders. Some have flown particularly heavy drones capable of carrying payloads weighing dozens of kilograms. Assessments cited in the article point to growing concern that drones could become a significant threat in the IDF’s Judea and Samaria Division and along the Syrian border.

For more than a decade, the IDF has tried different ways to address drones operating close to the ground. Those efforts accelerated after the October 7 massacre, as the threat prompted a worldwide push to develop solutions. The article gives no further details about the massacre or the specific drone attacks involved.

New corps and defensive systems

The five battalions expected to form the new corps routinely protect the borders with Jordan and Egypt and the security barrier area in the West Bank. They’ll keep responsibility for Israel’s land borders while taking on protection against mobile threats in airspace close to the ground. Assessments point to a possible sixth battalion: the tactical air defense battalion established during the war in response to threats from Gaza and Lebanon that emerged on an unprecedented scale.

The IDF and the Defense Ministry have accelerated projects to improve drone protection. Some involve Israeli companies; others involve buying technology from abroad. The IDF has begun deploying different defense systems in the field to counter different kinds of drones.

Fiber-optic drones pose a particular detection challenge for conventional militaries, according to the article. Armies generally counter them with nets, interceptor drones and ground-based gunfire. The article doesn’t specify which systems the IDF has deployed or where they’re operating.

Training and military intelligence

The IDF will transfer significant Ground Forces resources to help establish the corps and add to capabilities already available within the Border Defense Corps. Those resources will include additional training personnel to develop a drone school focused on defensive missions.

The Ground Forces already operate defensive drone capabilities, including intelligence-gathering operations by drones conducted by Unit 9900 of the Military Intelligence Directorate. Military Intelligence could also help develop combat doctrine, operational methods, the type and scale of procurement involving drones and related technologies, and training.

The new corps is meant to bring border infantry battalions into the response to threats from the air as well as threats on the ground. The IDF’s plans address drones used in attacks, weapons and drug smuggling, and potential threats identified along additional borders.