Israel military company purchases robot dogs for use in Gaza war

An Israeli military reserves organisation has purchased three robot dogs for occupation forces, reportedly to be used in the ongoing invasion of the Gaza Strip.

Brothers in Arms, an organisation consisting of men and women from various units in Israel’s military reserves, was reported this week to have purchased three robot dogs for occupation forces operating in Gaza, specifically for the purposes of collecting intelligence and to “assist combat soldiers to operate optimally in the field”.

The three Vision 60 robot dogs – manufactured by the American company, Ghost Robotics, and costing $130,000 each – possess a number of capabilities including scouting areas above and below ground, being highly mobile and agile, able to climb piles of dirt and rubble, walk through deep puddles and float on their surfaces, as well as being able to get back on their feet if flipped over.

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They are also semi-autonomous, able to control their own speed of movement and come to halt without human intervention, and possess laser radar (lidar) capabilities which allow them to conduct 3D mapping of their surrounding environment, helping them to locate hidden explosive charges.

Some disadvantages of the robot dogs, however, include their short battery life of up to three hours – but reported to be practically only half of that on the field – and their inability to carry over 10 kilograms.

Having been operational in the United States’ military since 2020, the robot dogs are unarmed but possess the technical ability to be armed with a submachine gun with an advanced optic sight, thermal camera for night vision, and a range of 1.2 kilometres.

That capability has been the subject of notable controversy in recent years, sparking fears of their potential deadly combat use on a battlefield. So far, however, reports state that Israel’s utilisation of the robot dogs will only be for intelligence and scouting purposes, although the Israeli reserves organisation has not sufficiently expanded on the issue.