The upgrades to the drones were part of a larger technological push in the IDF, which in the late 1980s invested significant resources to acquire and develop precision ordnance—“smart bombs” that could hit their targets more accurately, making them more effective and less likely to inflict collateral damage. This process was accelerated when technology buff Ehud Barak, who wanted to build “a small, smart army,” became chief of staff in 1991, in effect shaping the Israeli war machine for the coming decades. Under his direction, the IAF’s Apache attack helicopters were equipped with laser-guided Hellfire missiles. At the same time, a meeting between the heads of the IAF operations department and Arieh Weisbrot, commander of the first IAF drone unit, Squadron 200, came up with the revolutionary idea of combining all of these technological advances into a single five-step process, to create a new and particularly deadly method of targeted killing. First, a drone would track a moving target, either a person or a vehicle. Second, the drone would transmit an image of the target directly to the operational command, providing a real-time connection with the decision-makers, right up until the order to fire. Third, the drone would designate the target with a laser beam that could be picked up by an Apache helicopter’s laser detector—a stage known as “passing the baton,” from the intelligence-gathering cycle to the operational cycle. Fourth, the Apache’s own laser would mark the target, which a Hellfire missile could then lock on to. Fifth, the Apache pilot would fire the missile and destroy the target. Combining and synchronizing both systems—intelligence and operations—was a major breakthrough. Drones already had proven themselves invaluable in gathering information. But now they’d evolved from a support role into a direct combat tool. Squadron 200 began training with the Apache pilots of Squadron 113, the “Wasp” squadron, in late 1991. There were skeptics in the IAF, especially among pilots who’d been trained in, and had long practiced, specific combat tactics. The idea that flying robots could be effective in war seemed, to some, preposterous. But in December 1991, they tried a number of “dry runs,” using vehicles on Israel’s roads as targets. Three or four drones were launched, and a vehicle selected at random for them to track with their cameras, transmitting everything to the control caravan. Then the vehicle was “lit up” with a laser beam, and after a few miles the chase was joined by two Apaches, and the whole team would practice “passing the baton” as the Apaches’ sensors would lock on to the drone’s laser beam. At the moment the Apache indicated that the target was locked, the exercise ended. But simulating missile fire onto cars on a friendly road was one thing. Killing a live target in hostile territory was something else altogether.
From book, ‘Rise and Kill First,’ Ronen Bergman
From Mint Press:
During the 1980s, as MintPresspreviously reported, Epstein claimed to have been an intelligence operative and so-called “bounty hunter” in the world of shadow finance. During this time, he was known to have developed close relationships with several British arms dealers, particularly Sir Douglas Leese. Thus, Epstein appeared to frequently be traveling between the Middle East and London, which is also supported by Epstein’s now-infamous Austrian passport which he was believed to have carried during this period of time.
Ben-Menashe told MintPress that he had not only met Epstein after Epstein had been recently recruited by Israeli military intelligence, but had seen him on several occasions thereafter as Epstein “used to be in [Robert Maxwell’s] office [in London] quite often” and would arrive there between trips to and from Israel.
Camp David, Clinton and Barak:
The 2000 Camp David Summit was a summit meeting at Camp David between United States president Bill Clinton, Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat. The summit took place between 11 and 25 July 2000 and was an effort to end the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Wikipedia
Ehud Barak, and his start up company, Carbyne:
Even more funds for Carbyne from Peter Thiel:
Peter Thiel’s venture capital firm Founders Fund has joined a $15 million Series B funding round in an emergency response startup Carbyne, backed by former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak. The company announced the round led Elsted Capital Partners Tuesday.
Listed as Reporty Homeland Security Ltd., Carbyne develops a technology designed to enhance first response services, reducing the time it takes first responders to assess, prioritize, and act in crisis situations. Carbyne’s digitized 911 system helps first responders better process incoming emergency calls using information sources including live video streaming, voice over IP, and location detection. The company reports a 65% reduction in time to dispatch.
.Ehud Barak with the founders of Reporty, which was rebranded as Carbyne. Photo: Amit Sha’alCarbyne was founded in 2014 and is based in Tel Aviv, with an additional office in New York. The company reports clients in the U.S., Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. In 2016, Carbyne raised $5.15 million in an angel funding round led by Barak, who serves as Carbyne’s chairman of the board.
Ehud Barak’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein detailed in new book
According to a new book by journalist Michael Wolff, former Israeli prime minister Barak said he and Epstein have “nothing to worry about. The secrets are safe.”
Ehud Barak and Jeffrey Epstein(photo credit: CORINNA KERN/REUTERS)ByJERUSALEM POST STAFFOCTOBER 17, 2021 20:53
Former prime minister Ehud Barak was a “frequent guest, almost a fixture” at convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s mansion in New York before Epstein’s death in 2019, according to a new book by journalist Michael Wolff.
Too Famous: The Rich, The Powerful, The Wishful, The Damned, The Notorious – Twenty Years of Columns, Essays and Reporting, to be released on Tuesday, features Barak’s relationship with Epstein in great detail.
And now the sale of Paragon software from the Carbyne stable:
The deal will significantly benefit Paragon’s founders, including former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, company chairman Ehud Schneorson (a former commander of IDF Intelligence Unit 8200), CEO Idan Nurick, Igor Bogdalov and Liad Avraham. The founders are expected to collectively receive about 30% of the initial payment, or approximately $150 million. Barak, holding a small equity share, is estimated to receive around $15 million. Employees will also benefit, collectively receiving about $100 million through the company’s generous stock option policy. The remaining funds will go to the company’s investors.
A strategic partnership with global implications
Paragon, one of Israel’s two leading offensive cyber companies alongside NSO, specializes in technologies classified as weapons, requiring export approval from the Ministry of Defense. Unlike NSO, which faced international backlash for selling spyware to authoritarian regimes and which was blacklisted by the U.S. government, Paragon was founded under a mandate to operate exclusively in democratic nations. This ethical approach paved the way for the current deal.
According to a source familiar with the transaction, the acquisition aims to establish Paragon as a global leader in cyber technologies.
Famous as “the girl who kissed Putin,” Masha Drokova also worked for Jeffrey Epstein before she penetrated the Silicon Valley tech sector. Big question: Is Masha another Red Sparrow?
Retired, living in the Scottish Borders after living most of my life in cities in England. I can now indulge my interest in all aspects of living close to nature in a wild landscape. I live on what was once the Iapetus Ocean which took millions of years to travel from the Southern Hemisphere to here in the Northern Hemisphere. That set me thinking and questioning and seeking answers.
In 1998 I co-wrote Millennium Countdown (US)/ A Business Guide to the Year 2000 (UK) see https://www.abebooks.co.uk/products/isbn/9780749427917
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