Politics Wing / U.S.-Israel Relations / U.S.-Israel Military Cooperation
Israeli Military Equipment Used by the U.S.
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Israel has developed some of the world’s most sophisticated weapons and technology, some jointly with the United States. The following are examples used by the U.S. military.
Trophy Active Protection System
The Army has purchased an emerging technology for Abrams tanks, Bradleys, and Strykers, designed to enable combat vehicles to identify, track, and destroy approaching enemy rocket-propelled grenades in milliseconds. Trophy is an Active Protection System (APS) that uses a 360-degree radar, processor, and onboard computer to locate, track, and destroy incoming fire from a range of weapons, such as Anti-Tank Guided Missiles and Rocket-Propelled Grenades. DRS Technologies and the Israeli-based Rafael Advanced Defense Systems are working with the army to integrate a system Israel developed after realizing that tanks could not be fitted with additional armor without significantly reducing their maneuverability and deployability.
Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and U.S.-based defense contractor Leonardo DRS announced on January 6, 2021, that they completed delivery of Trophy Active Protection Systems ordered by the U.S. Army for installation on Abrams battle tanks. This delivery culminates a multi-year effort by the Army to study and rapidly field active protection, driven by the urgency of the threat and the growing need for improved ground vehicle survivability.
Iron Fist Light Configuration
Elbit Systems’ latest $228 million, three-year contract to supply its Iron Fist active protection system for the U.S. Army’s Bradley Fighting Vehicle builds on a decade-long U.S. investment in the technology. The award, issued by the U.S. government to General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems—the Bradley program’s prime contractor—and published on Sept. 29, 2025, marks the third time the U.S. Army has selected Iron Fist.
Iron Fist is a “hard-kill active protection system” designed to “detect and intercept incoming threats before they strike armored vehicles,” providing 360-degree protection against anti-tank rockets, guided missiles, drones, loitering munitions, and kinetic-energy tank rounds. Elbit describes the system as compact, with low weight and power demands, allowing it to be integrated onto existing platforms and operate “in both open terrain and dense urban environments.”
U.S. interest in Iron Fist dates back to June 2015, when the Army chose to purchase the Iron Fist Light Configuration for armored personnel carriers. Originally developed by Israel Military Industries, the system employs a complex network of radar and electro-optics to detect and neutralize a wide range of threats. It can jam the GPS systems of incoming projectiles, causing them to malfunction and fall to the ground, and can also deploy interceptors that destroy incoming objects with a shock wave.
Iron Fist is already deployed by the Israel Defense Forces as a second-generation active protection system and has been selected by several NATO members and other armies worldwide. Elbit President and CEO Bezhalel (Butzi) Machlis said the latest contract reflects confidence in the system’s performance, while analysts note it also highlights deepening U.S.–Israeli and transatlantic defense-industrial cooperation, as lessons from Ukraine and the Middle East continue to drive demand for advanced vehicle protection technologies.
Common Laser Range Finder
Israel's Elbit Systems was awarded a $73.4 million, 15-year contract by the U.S. Marine Corps in March 2015 to supply the Marine Corps with new laser systems. The new systems will assist Marines in concealed positions with imaging, range-finding, and navigation through combat areas. This will allow soldiers to acquire and engage targets from their concealed positions, significantly reducing the risk of error and keeping them safe.
Skystar 180
Surveillance balloon manufactured for tactical surveillance, public safety, police, and military activities. Skystar 180s can provide surveillance coverage of up to 1,000 square feet on a single tank of helium, which lasts approximately 72 hours. The Skystar 180 system is simple and intuitive, and can be fully operated by only two people. Israeli police have used these balloons and previous models to control riots and provide intel during times of conflict. The U.S. Army approved the Skystar 180 for purchase in March 2015, after a unit successfully completed the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment
ADM-141 TALD (Improved Tactical Air Launched Decoy)
Jet-powered, unpiloted decoys look and maneuver like an aircraft. TALD's are used to confuse enemy radar and draw the fire away from piloted aircraft so they can perform their missions under "safer" conditions. Earlier unpowered glider versions of the ITALD were used extensively during the initial stages of the Gulf War and in Bosnia.
Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System
This helmet-mounted display (HMD) system allows fighter pilots to target enemy aircraft by using a display in their helmet to guide missiles to the target they are looking at, rather than maneuvering their aircraft into an attack position.
Reactive Armor Tiles
Developed by the IDF after the Yom Kippur War, these tiles protect tanks and the soldiers within them. The tiles overlay the tank's armor and have embedded explosives that detonate outward when hit by missiles. The explosion destroys and repels the incoming missile before it penetrates the tank's main armor. During the 1982 Lebanon war, not a single Israeli tank equipped with these tiles was lost to enemy fire.
LITENING Targeting Pod
LITENING is a navigation and targeting system that enables aircraft to fly and engage targets in adverse weather and at night. The Litening transforms older planes into round-the-clock fighters. The Litening is equipped with two cameras: one uses thermal sensors to identify targets at night and in adverse weather, while the other provides high-resolution images at long range during the day. The U.S. Air National Guard, whose fleet is a quarter of the size of the active-duty fleet, has purchased the Litening to enhance the capabilities of its F-16s. The Litening is also being purchased by the U.S. Marine Corps.
AGM-142 Have Nap
Known as "the Popeye," this missile is used to destroy targets, such as concrete military bunkers, with exceptional precision from great distances. It is the only air-to-ground missile that can be retargeted after launch. The United States uses Popeye on B-52 bombers. A small number of Popeye-equipped aircraft were deployed to Europe for use in Kosovo.
UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)
The UAV has been a key factor enabling the United States to fight effectively with minimal casualties. The U.S. has one of the largest fleets of Israeli-made UAVs, which are used to identify targets and assess bomb damage without putting pilots at risk. During the Gulf War and Kosovo, Israeli-made Pioneer and Hunter UAVs were used to stop hard-to-detect targets such as missile launchers, artillery units, and command and control bunkers.
Python-4 Air-to-Air Missile
The Python-4 is recognized as the world’s most advanced short-range air-to-air missile. Unlike other missiles of its kind, the Python can fire at targets from any angle, not just those directly in front of it. This gives it a much larger zone in which it can effectively destroy enemy aircraft.
SIMON Breach Grenade
A rifle grenade designed to breach through doors. It is mainly used to access buildings with locked or barricaded doors without endangering U.S. troops or the people inside. A variant is currently in service with the United States Army.
B300/SMAW Bunker-Busting Missile
This Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon (SMAW) is a portable weapon designed to destroy deeply buried, hardened, concrete-reinforced bunkers. The U.S. Marine Corps procured this missile for use in Iraq.
Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS)
The US Air Force ordered 21 MANPADS, shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles (SLSAMs), for use against low-flying aircraft, including unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and helicopters.
Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular
The U.S. Army is using Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binoculars developed by Israel’s Elbit Systems. The helmet-mounted device is a departure from the green-washed imagery of traditional night-vision equipment, which can cause eyestrain and fatigue. The device amplifies ambient light, making targets easier to identify in low-visibility conditions.
Other Systems
UZI Submachine Gun: The U.S. Secret Service used this automatic weapon for some time.
Mine Plows: Armored plows attached to the front end of tanks, enabling a tank to push land mines aside
SINCGARS Communications: Most widely used tactical radio in the U.S. Army inventory.
Kfir Fighter Plane: This fighter was loaned to the United States for use in simulated combat missions and training.
Helicopter Crash Survival Seats: Drastically reduce the effects of a helicopter crash by absorbing much of the crash's energy.
Night Targeting System (NTS): Used on Cobra attack helicopters to operate day or night, in good and bad weather.
Cardom: 120mm Recoil mortar system using modern electronic navigation, self-positioning, and target acquisition.
Gabriel missile: Anti-ship missile.
Missile Warning System: Elbit signed a contract to supply a missile-warning system for F-16 fighter jets.