An Israeli company that develops, manufactures and markets unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for governments all around the world and for military and civilian entities in Israel. The company also supplies aerial intelligence surveillance products.

The company is the first Israeli civilian company to carry out all-inclusive operational missions for the Israeli army, some taking place in Gaza and the West Bank. Israeli forces have been outsourcing visual intelligence services for field security to the company since 2002.

In May 2018, Aeronautics UAVs were used by the Israeli military against unarmed civilian protestors in the besieged Gaza participating in the Great March of Return mass demonstrations. The Israeli military leased the company’s “Pegasus 120” VTOL UAV, a UAV with a maximum payload weight of up to 75kg, and equipped it with crowd control weapons such as tear gas and skunk water. An Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD) tweet showed the UAV, nicknamed ‘Chocolate Milk Drone’ (Hebrew: Shoko Drone), dropping skunk water bags. The “Pegasus 120” was developed specifically for the IMOD and financed by it.

The company also holds shares in Controp Precision Technologies, which has provided electro-optical intrusion detection systems for the Separation Wall in the occupied West Bank. Controp was also involved in a joint project with Tomcar and Elbit, developing UAVs for military purposes, and providing cameras for UAVs used by combat units of the Israeli army in the West Bank and the Gaza strip. Controp also provides services to Israel Police.

RT LTA Systems, Aeronautics’ subsidiary (51%), supplied “SkyStar” surveillance balloons to the Israeli army that have deployed it in consecutive military assaults on Gaza in 2008-9, 2012 and 2014, during which the Israeli army operated 13 RT balloons.

In the summer of 2014, RT supplied five surveillance balloons to the Jerusalem Municipality as part of the security apparatus of the Jerusalem light rail in occupied East Jerusalem. The model deployed in East Jerusalem was the SkyStar 180, three of the balloons were equipped with high quality network-connected video cameras, which stream pictures in real time to police units on the ground and the other two were decoys used for deterrence. One of the balloons was positioned in the Palestinian neighborhood of Shuafat and one in the settlement neighborhood of the French Hill.

In 2017, RT tested new technology, a SkyStar 110 micro surveillance balloon, in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. In 2018, an identical balloon was documented stationed over a number of Palestinian villages west of Jenin in the West Bank. RT balloons are also stationed on Route 443, a settler road in the West Bank.

RT’s chief client is the Israeli army. The company’s first prototype was developed according to the specific requirements of the Israeli army. At present, the combat intelligence collection unit uses the SkyStar 180 and 300 aerostats for collecting tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The aerostats are provided to the army under a multiyear leasing contract with the Israel Ministry of Defense. In Israel, SkyStar systems are equipped with the Speed-A payload by Controp Company.

RT operates a factory in the settlement of Katzrin in the occupied Syrian Golan.

Aeronautics, jointly with Motorola, developed the “Stronghold” surveillance technology that includes radars and cameras, the technology is installed in dozens of settlements in the West Bank.

Magna B.S.P, a surveillance company in which Aeuronautics holds a minority stake (14.4%), has installed surveillance systems in the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem.

Additionally, in 2009, Aeronautics was contracted by the Dutch Ministry of Defense in a 200 million NIS deal to supply Dutch forces in Afghanistan with “Aerostar” UAVs. In 2011, through its subsidiary RT, the company was also contracted by the US military in Afghanistan to supply it with the “SkyStar 180” surveillance balloons.