"Infinite Potential": The Acquisition Path of an American Defense Giant in Israel

An autonomous drone scanning from above, an unmanned vehicle advancing ahead of the fighters, and a robotic dog walking alongside them: these are some of the technologies that Ondas has collected in a dizzying acquisition spree of about 15 defense-tech companies for hundreds of millions of dollars, most of them Israeli. On Monday, the company announced that former Mossad chief Dadi Barnea would be appointed as its president and chairman.

These moves have made Ondas an intriguing and promising player in the defense industry, but the big test is still ahead: will it succeed in turning a collection of companies and technologies into a single operational system? Ondas is an American company based in Florida whose shares are traded on NASDAQ with a value of more than $4 billion – but its management is Israeli, as is the vast majority of the companies it controls. Among others, it acquired Airobotics, Robotican, Sentrycs, Bird, and Omnisys.

Capabilities of superpowers are now with everyone

The battlefield of the future is already here, says Dr. Yehudit Hocherman-Fromer, CTO and chief engineer of Ondas. According to her, the wars in Ukraine and Israel have exposed two parallel trends: cheap and lethal systems have become available to almost any actor, and at the same time, artificial intelligence, autonomy, and robotics are developing rapidly.

"Capabilities that were once the domain of superpowers are now with everyone," she explains. An asymmetry has been created between quality weapons in measured quantities and cheap, simple platforms in large quantities. Therefore, Western armies are looking for technological superiority alongside the ability to deal with masses of threats – through cheap munitions, advanced manufacturing, and systems that manage many tools simultaneously.

First robots, then fighters

One of the central areas in which Ondas invests is the integration between fighters and autonomous robots. The company connects robotic vehicles, robotic dogs, and smart arms that can operate remotely and perform actions in a dangerous environment.

"We expect to see robots that clear paths and handle explosives before the manned force, or those that walk alongside the force and provide it with a protective umbrella," says Hocherman-Fromer, who previously served as senior VP of R&D at Rafael. One of the tasks being examined is clearing areas of mines: a drone will scan the ground, a robotic vehicle will advance to the suspicious point, and a robotic dog will examine it closely.

Despite the autonomy, the human will remain in the decision-making process. The tool will navigate itself and the AI will identify anomalies, suggest targets, and recommend action – but the fighter will approve the attack. "We would not want to reach a situation where lethal decisions are made completely autonomously," clarifies Hocherman-Fromer.

The new threat at the low layer

Another central area is protection against drones, including the lethal FPV drones used by Hezbollah. The challenge is particularly great with drones operated via fiber optics: unlike a regular drone, which can sometimes be neutralized by jamming communication or GPS, the fiber-optic drone is almost unaffected by electronic warfare.

"The low layer, close to the ground, has been left with a partial response," she says. "The solution will require a combination of radar, optics, acoustics, and radio waves (RF), alongside neutralization means – from jamming and cyber to kinetic interception and energy weapons." According to her, the next challenge will be swarms of autonomous drones, which may be easier to detect but much harder to neutralize.

The drone that hunts drones and the robot that evacuates the wounded

The acquisition spree has brought under one roof a series of systems:

1. IRON DRONE: an interceptor drone that locks on using computer vision to small drones and neutralizes them physically.

2. PROBOT and ROOK: heavy robots by Robotican, capable of moving in sand, mud, and rocky terrain, carrying equipment, and evacuating the wounded.

3. Golem Detector: a robot by M4 Defense that detects mines and unexploded ordnance underground.

4. Sentrycs: a system that identifies the type of drone and its location, and in appropriate cases can take control of it, disconnect it from the operator, or land it at a defined point.

Above them is the LADOS control system, which connects the drone, the robot, the sensors, and the interceptor into one brain. Ondas has already won security contracts and tenders in Israel and the USA. Now it must prove that the acquisition spree will create that integrated platform and not just a collection of technologies. "Connecting their capabilities into complete systemic solutions creates infinite potential," concludes Hocherman-Fromer.