As the death toll surpasses 700 in Israel and 500 in Palestine, with an additional 1,000 and 5,000 people injured in both nations, respectively, we examine the armaments employed by both sides that have inflicted harm on civilians on either end.
What Are The Weapons Israel Has?
The Israeli military possesses modern and efficient artillery capable of launching attacks across extensive areas without significant resource expenditure. Structured in a manner similar to conventional armies like India, the USA, or the UK, they have a diverse arsenal at their disposal, designed for both offensive and defensive purposes.
Merkawa Tank:
The Israelis have equipped themselves with the Merkava tank, which is a variation of the German Leopard 2 tank and is armed with anti-tank LAHAT missiles, enhancing its firepower. The 64-tonne juggernaut, in itself, can fit a four-person crew inside it, armed with a 12mm smoothbore gun.
The LAHAT missiles, which translates to ‘incandescence’ in Hebrew, were designed by Israel Aerospace Industries to be used in Merkawa tanks in 1991. The missiles are light-weight, laser-based homing rockets, designed to register a 95 per cent probability of a kill.
M-109 Howitzer:
Another addition to the Israeli artillery is the M-109 Howitzer, which is a self-propelled weapon introduced by the Americans in the 1960s. The most recent version of the howitzer is called the M109A7, which operates with a crew of four, firing four times in under a minute.
The howitzer is also equipped with an MH2B heavy machine gun that can eliminate enemy soldiers at close range. The crew comprises the following — the section chief/commander, the driver, the gunner, and the ammunition handler/loader.
Iron Dome:
The infamous Iron Dome is also a recent addition to the Israeli arsenal which facilitates the defensive action mentioned before. It is an air defense system that is armed with sensing and destroying missile attacks launched by perpetrators on the other side of the border.
However, the limits of the dome were tested this time around by the Hamas militants, whose initial deployment of 5,000 rockets into Israel, could not be warded off by the defense mechanism.
Kfir Fighter Jet:
The Kfir fighter jet developed by the Israel Aircraft Industries has also become a massive addition to the foray of the Israeli arsenal. ‘Kfir’ which translates to ‘lion’s cub’, is being widely used by the Israel Defence Forces to attack Palestinians and militants along the Gaza Strip.
The jet has the capability to travel at the speed of 2440 km/h, with a combat range of 670 kilometres, equipped with missiles, rockets, and machine guns, including bombs — Mark 80 series, Paveway series of LGBs, Griffin LGBs, SMKBs,[53] CBU-100 Rockeyes, BLU-107 Matra Durandal, reconnaissance pods or drop tanks. The current version was introduced in 2019, referred to as the Kfir NG, or ‘New Generation’, based off the French Dassault Mirage 5.
F-16 Falcon Fighter Jet:
The F-16 Falcon Fighter Jet is possibly one of the most well-known combat aircraft in the world. Manufactured in the USA, it was posited to Israeli forces in the wake of Israeli-American relationship, having a combat range of 546 kilometres and the ability to travel with a velocity of 2178 km/h.
The jet’s speed is complemented by its 20 mm rotatory canon, various missiles to destroy enemy forces on air, water, and land, a rocket set of three, and three under-fuselage bombs. The jet had been initially manufactured by US-based weapons company General Dynamics.
F-15 Strike Eagle Fighter Jet:
Israel also has a batch of F-15 Strike Eagle fighter jets, which is also manufactured by the Americans, that can fly at over 2000 km/h, with a humongous combat range of 1272 kilometres and an altitude range of 60,000 feet.
The jet requires a crew of one pilot, who can access the striking collection of weaponry lying at their behest, including a 20 mm cannon, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, and five weapon stations for up to 10,705 kg of bombs. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, even after 25 years, the F-15 remains the IDF’s go-to combat aircraft for flight supremacy.
F-35 Stealth Fighter Jet:
The F-35 Stealth Fighter jet is another such addition that has the ability to fly under the radar and remain undetected by the enemy forces, having a combat range of 1,239 kilometres, with a max speed of 1976 km/h. The F-35 is also equipped with a 25mm rotatory canon, and missiles that can fight effectively on air, land, and water. Israel had first used these jets in their clashes with Iran in 2018.
Apache Helicopter:
Another American-made aircraft, the Boeing company’s Apache helicopter has also been a massive addition to the Israeli arsenal. The combat helicopter can be efficiently used even at night owing to its night vision capabilities, alongside having a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and homing. It is also armed with a 30mm M230 chain gun among other subsidiary armaments. Typically, the helicopter is also attached with all-terrain missiles and homing rockets. The Apache is also used by the Indian Armed Forces.
WATCH:
What Are The Weapons Hamas Has?
The Hamas, on the other hand, has been one of the most heavily armed guerilla militant organisations in the world. Purportedly, the militants have received financial support with armaments from their Iranian counterparts. Although, Ali Khamenei government has declared that the reports are false, they continue to provide support to the Hamas militants.
Al-Qassam Rockets:
Their primary method of attack remains through the deployment of rockets, with the most pertinent being the Qassam rockets. These are simple, steel artillery rockets that are deployed without any form of targetting. Accordingly, these rockets when deployed do not aim at a particular target but blast indiscriminately upon contact. These rockets have been said to have enabled the militant Hamas to commit numerous war crimes.
Fajr-5 Missiles:
The Fajr-5 missiles, developed by the Iranian government, have also been used extensively by the militant outfit, which can launch multiple rockets at the same time. The missile, which translates to ‘dawn’, can deploy four at a time, carrying 175-kg fragmentation warheads and 90 kg of high explosive, which is mostly unguided. However, a new variation of the missile had been exported called the Fajr-5C which added GPS guidance and homing to its settings.
Al-Zouari Drones:
The Hamas militants had also showcased the potential of the Al-Zouari drone in the initial attacks upon the Jewish homeland. Deploying 35 of the suicide drones, they are able to scan and pinpoint enemy targets when in the sky. They were used, this time around to distract and keep the Israeli iron dome busy, as the Hamas missiles bombarded and entered the cities in southern Israel.
Fateh-110 Missiles:
The Fateh-110 surface-to-surface missiles have also been used extensively by the militants. These missiles and their payloads can be moved from point A to point B by road, carrying warheads of up to 500 kg.
Kalashnikov Series:
The Kalashnikov has also been widely used by the Hamas militants, which is a family of assault rifles that has been effectively procured by numerous militant organsiations owing to their ready availability. The rifle family also includes the widely used AK-56. However, now, the guns have lost their relevance.
Stolen M-16 Carbine:
The reason why the AK has lost its relevance is through the seizure of numerous American-made guns — M-16 Carbine. These guns had mostly been obtained through arms intervention and extensive smuggling. The guns include a 20-round magazine, which can be upgraded to a 30-round magazine. The light weight of the guns has enabled them to move around with absolute ease.
Hamas’ war with Israel has already reached its fifth day, and the end of the war may see an influx of other armaments flowing into the conflict.