Female Israeli military experts play central role in new Iron Sting precision mortar shells
In a society where equality is a practical necessity, female military experts in Israel have played a central role in advancing the nation's cutting-edge technology.
The Iron Sting is a new weapons system that has been successfully deployed against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip. Its overall purpose is to neutralize terrorists operating in densely populated urban areas without harming civilians.
Developed by the leading Israeli military company Elbit Systems, the Iron Sting is reportedly the world’s only operational mortar munition simultaneously capable of transforming into a target-guided missile; precisely striking terrorists in a room without hitting the rest of the building.
“No mortar munition can provide destruction at this level,” assessed Dr. A., a female expert, who has played a central role in the development of the new system.
Due to her seniority in the defense industry, the 73-year-old is only known by the public as “Dr. A.” Individuals who know her told Ynet News that “she’s a brand name in the warheads field. She works from dawn to dusk and there’s no defense minister who doesn’t consult her.”
Dr. A. and her colleagues argue that the Iron Sting has proven "extremely successful in terms of soldier’s satisfaction.”
The new system was tested in combat for the first time in October, following the unprecedented Hamas attack against the Jewish state. At the time, Lt.-Col. Omer Cohen, a commander in the elite IDF Maglan unit, attested to its operational effectiveness.
“Thanks to the precision abilities, the lethality and the expertise of the fighters, the Maglan unit in cooperation with the Air Force foiled dozens of terrorists with a variety of means, one of which is the precision mortar ‘Iron Sting.’”
L., another top female military executive, dismissed the notion that female professionals cannot succeed in the male-dominated military industry.
“I don’t see it as strange. I’ve been in the business for many years,” she said. “I believe that if you’re good, you make the effort, you’re curious and want to know, you’ll make it in the end - even if the journey isn’t always easy.
“People coming in for interviews often think I’m the secretary,” she added. “But like Dr. A. is known as Ms. Warheads, I’m known as 'Ms. Mortars.' Any commander with a mortar problem in Gaza will call me directly from the field," she said.
“Iron Sting turns a statistic into a precision hit,” L. explained.
“We took the existing mortar system, which works great on hammers and APCs, and developed an armament suitable for them, but that acts like a missile and can hit targets with precision. For years now, a broad and diverse team has been working on developing this in full collaboration with the IDF, the Ministry of Defense and the Directorate of Defense, Research, & Development (DDR&D), addressing many challenges along the way."
“We integrated the mortar firing so that it acts like a missile on the existing systems. Iron Sting must be operated in a calculated manner.”
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The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
