Israeli firm shows off new patrol vehicles for IDF unit

Israeli surveillance systems maker ESC BAZ demonstrated a new line of patrol and assault vehicles for the Israel Defense Forces’ 96th Division, the company said in a LinkedIn post.

The vehicles are built for reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, security missions and first-response operations, and the demonstration included counter-drone technology developed with Israeli firm SmartShooter.

ESC BAZ describes the vehicles as mobile intelligence platforms, equipped with sensors and surveillance systems meant to extend a unit’s intelligence and protection network while feeding real-time information back to the field. All data collected by the vehicles is also transmitted to a central command center, according to the company.

The 96th Division, also known as the Gilead Division, is an IDF reserve formation that stood up in June 2025 to reinforce Israel’s eastern border with Jordan, under IDF Central Command. It was assembled within 48 hours at the start of the country’s conflict with Iran that month and has since taken on a broader role securing the Jordan Valley, including efforts to counter smuggling and infiltration attempts.

The counter-drone element of the demonstration centered on SmartShooter’s fire-control technology, which the company has previously supplied to militaries including the United Kingdom’s Army and the Netherlands’ armed forces for countering small unmanned aircraft. SmartShooter’s systems use electro-optical processing and targeting algorithms to help operators track and engage drones, typically mounted on rifles or remote weapon stations rather than built into a vehicle from the start. ESC BAZ said the integration on its patrol vehicles is meant to address drone threats alongside other emerging operational challenges.

ESC BAZ, founded in 1994 and based in Lod, Israel, has built its business on cost-effective surveillance and intruder-detection systems for military, police and homeland security customers, with products ranging from short-range cameras to long-range detection systems covering distances up to 25 km (15.5 miles). The company said its new vehicle platforms are meant to make similar operational capabilities available to a wider range of users, including military, homeland security, border protection and critical infrastructure organizations, by combining established technologies on what it described as a cost-effective platform.

SmartShooter framed the collaboration in similar terms. The company said in its own LinkedIn post that pairing its counter-drone capabilities with ESC BAZ’s mobile platforms shows how combining complementary technologies can strengthen force protection in the field, and said the two companies plan to keep developing solutions together.