The Sentry Gun system – Browning M2, Spike Missiles, Sensors, Camera’s. Towers and etc…

The killing of terrorists over the weekend trying to cross the Gaza border into Israel was probably done by Israel’s Remote operated Sentry Gun system, the “Roah Yorah”. The “Roah Yorah” (see-fire in direct translation from Hebrew), are a network of remote controlled operated arms system spread along Israel’s border with Gaza.

The “Roah Yorah” Sentry Gun system includes heavy machine guns and missiles and is based on Rafael’s Samson Remote controlled weapon system. It is designed for vehicles, AFV’s and APC’s and includes the browning M2 12.7mm and Spike missiles. The system is all weather, day and night and has a range of 1500 meters. It is inside domes on towers which open up when there are potential hostiles and engage upon command from its remote operators (although it can also be autonomous).

 from 0-0:21 the system remotely takes out a hostile with a spike missile

Video Game Joystick and screen

The system opens fire on hostiles once they are ID’ed by the operators in a separate command and control center and who give the engagement order to the system. The system user interface is the closest thing to a live video game with the operators in front of screen and joysticks to direct the camera and armament. The operators monitor the border with the screens which are fed by an array of camera’s, sensors, ground sensors, drones and etc. Once a potential hostile is ID’ed, an “incrimination process” begins in which the operator and his superiors try to determine if he is a hostile or not. The final decision makes the supervisor, not the operator, whom then unlocks a “safety” button of sorts. That, in turn, allows the operator to engage with his video game joystick.

Rafael developed the system and they started developing it in 2005. The idea for the system was in 2005 when Israel retreated from Gaza and it was clear that there would be terror problems with its border with Gaza. The IDF and Rafael were looking for ways to protect their soldiers better on the border region from asymmetric threats and came up with this idea. In 2008 it became operational and since then neutralized dozens of hostiles, although the exact number is classified.

All Female operators!

One unique aspect of the system is that all its operator’s female soldiers! There are two reasons for that. The first reason is that remote “screen” lookout positions are in any case designated and operated by females, so it doesn ‘t make sense to train males separately. The second reason it can only be a female operator with experience in being a lookout was collateral damage. Only those who know the terrain intimately, from hundreds of hours of looking at the screen, can know best what is a hill, a building, a local noncombatant vs a combatant, an animal crossing he fence, and etc. So the IDF decided the main criteria’s for being an operator of this system were at least a year experience in being a regular “lookout”.

At first however, there were fears the girls would be afraid to make the actual kill, in addition to general fears regarding the effects on girls. In the Sentry Gun system course itself only lasts only a week but they dedicate two days of it for mental training and evaluation. If they find one of the girls might have a problem with shooting, they remove her.

But those fears never materialized. Til date, 11 years after the system became operation, there wasn’t a single known problem with any female soldier operator in shooting. The girls, turns out, were trained well and knew exactly what they were getting into. Furthermore, one of the repeated feedback senior command got from the female lookouts, before the system was in place, was how frustrating it was whenever they ID’s terrorists and they were unable to take them out instantly. Instead they would have to wait for other neutralizing methods like Infantry, tanks, drones and helicopters.

Other systems – Korean and a Russian Robot

So far, Israel is only country in the world to successfully develop and use such a system. Other countries also developed similar systems were developed, but none are operational yet, let alone in combat.. For example, two Korean systems – the Samsung SGR-A1 and the Super Aegis aEgis II, and a Russian system which name is not known. However none are operational although all on paper have a longer ranges with the Russian being the longest. It can supposedly take out humans at 7KM and cars at 10km. Israels systems advantage, as always is its ability to identify needs immediately and develop system to deal with those exact evolutionary needs.

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