Israel Aerospace Industries Unveils AI-Driven Combat Aircraft and Drone Navigation Disruption System

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) revealed two advanced defense technologies at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, highlighting a shift toward AI-powered, multi-layered systems designed for modern electronic warfare. The first is ELLYON, a multi-mission electronic warfare aircraft capable of conducting electronic attacks and intelligence gathering over hundreds of kilometers without direct exposure to threats. ELLYON integrates radar jamming, signals intelligence (SIGINT), long-range SAR radar with ground movement detection, electro-optical surveillance, and wideband satellite communications. Its core is an AI engine that manages missions in real time, analyzing vast data to provide updated situational awareness and enabling simultaneous attack and reconnaissance operations. The aircraft also features advanced self-defense systems with electronic countermeasures.

Alongside ELLYON, IAI introduced HYPNOSIS, a ground-based "soft kill" system designed to counter GPS- and GNSS-dependent threats like drone swarms. HYPNOSIS employs mobile jamming and spoofing stations coordinated through a central control center to create a dynamic protective shield around sensitive areas. Instead of physically intercepting drones, it disrupts their navigation signals, diverting or neutralizing them. IAI officials emphasized HYPNOSIS as a critical layer in a multi-tiered defense strategy, particularly effective against rapidly evolving, low-cost, mass-produced threats.

These innovations reflect the evolving nature of modern warfare, marked by increased drone use and intensified electromagnetic spectrum battles. The technologies aim to provide smarter, more flexible responses to emerging battlefield challenges faced by militaries worldwide.