Israel selects Ondas to build “Digital Bat” low-cost attack drones
The multi-million-dollar program will develop a new generation of tactical attack drones designed for rapid deployment and scalable production, reflecting Israel’s growing focus on affordable autonomous weapons for frontline forces.
Ondas has been selected by Israel's Ministry of Defense to develop and produce a new generation of low-cost tactical attack drones, giving the U.S.-listed defense company another significant foothold in Israel's military technology ecosystem.
The multi-million-dollar program, known as “Digital Bat,” is aimed at developing a tactical attack drone platform that can be produced and deployed at scale and adapted to the changing requirements of frontline combat units. Ondas said the program will cover the drone itself as well as autonomy, mission software, systems integration and production readiness.
The award comes as militaries increasingly seek relatively inexpensive unmanned systems that can be deployed in large numbers alongside more expensive weapons. Ondas explicitly linked the Israeli program to the priorities behind the U.S. Drone Dominance Program, a $1.1 billion initiative focused on rapidly fielding low-cost unmanned systems, including one-way attack drones.
“This strategic award represents an important validation of the defense technology platform we are building at Ondas,” said Eric Brock, the company's chairman and CEO. He said the company was seeing a shift toward “affordable autonomous systems that can be produced and deployed at a significant scale.”
The announcement comes just days after Ondas drew attention in Israel with the appointment of former Mossad chief David Barnea as its chairman and president. The company is also preparing to add Brig. Gen. (res.) Yehuda Almakias, the former head of the Research and Development Division at the Defense Ministry's Directorate of Defense Research and Development, as a vice president.
Those appointments are part of an aggressive expansion by Ondas, which has assembled a portfolio of more than 15 acquisitions over the past two years, most of them in autonomous systems, ground robotics and drone technologies.
The company has also recruited a number of senior Israeli defense executives, including former Rafael CEO Maj. Gen. (res.) Yoav Har Even, former Rafael R&D executives Dr. Irit Idan and Dr. Yehudit Hochman, and former Rafael vice president Oshri Lugassy, who now serves as co-CEO of Ondas Autonomous Systems.
The new tender provides a concrete example of how Ondas intends to use that expanding network and technology portfolio. Rather than supplying a single drone, the company says it will develop what it calls a complete operational capability, combining the aerial platform with autonomous functions, mission management, system integration, manufacturing infrastructure and operational support.
The Digital Bat system is intended for use at the tactical level, giving frontline units an aerial strike capability that can be deployed rapidly and adapted to different operational environments. Ondas said the drones are expected to shorten response times, improve precision and extend the reach of tactical units.
The company also sees the systems as complementary to longer-range one-way attack and precision-strike platforms, giving commanders a broader set of options depending on the distance, mission and target environment.
The financial value of the tender was described only as multi-million-dollar; Ondas did not disclose a more precise figure or a timetable for production and deployment.
