IDF Strikes Beirut, Ukraine Drone Attacks

Tech spotlight: the SAAB SHORAD

THE WAR NEWSLETTER — OCT 23 2024

Good morning. Today’s update covers updates from the wars in Ukraine and Israel.

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Map of today’s newsletter:

  • 🇮🇱 IDF strikes in Beirut

  • ⚔️ A mobile air defense unit

  • 🇺🇦 Drones take out more Russian targets

1 - ISRAEL

Source: Google Maps

1 thing to know

Israel conducted airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut following rocket attacks on central Israel during the Simhat Torah holiday.

The context 

As Israel began marking Simhat Torah, the terror group Hezbollah launched several rockets from Lebanon toward central Israel, with some causing damage and casualties. In retaliation, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs, targeting Hezbollah-linked sites, including the office of the pro-Iranian broadcaster Al-Mayadeen.

More from the region

In the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, Israeli strikes caused significant destruction. Prior to the attacks, residents had been evacuated following Israeli warnings.

Separate Israeli strikes in Syria likely targeted more Iran-linked targets in central Damascus and the Homs countryside. No official information is available yet.

In the news

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TECH SPOTLIGHT: SAAB MSHORAD

Source: Saab

The Mobile Short-Range Air Defence (MSHORAD) system, developed by Swedish defense company Saab and unveiled in 2022, is an integrated air defense system that combines several components:

  • Giraffe 1X Radar: A compact, high-performance 3D radar offering 360-degree detection with an instrumented range of up to 45 miles. It’s capable of detecting drones lighter than a milk carton from 2.5 miles away.

  • RBS 70 NG Missile System: Weapon station armed with laser-guided, unjammable missiles. These missiles have an effective range of over 5 miles and can engage targets within five seconds, operating effectively both day and night.

  • GBAD C2 Command and Control System: This system compiles data from the radar, evaluates threats, and assigns weapons accordingly, enabling rapid and effective responses to multiple simultaneous threats.

The modular design of MSHORAD allows for easy integration onto various vehicle platforms, providing extra flexibility for use of the system.

What it’s used for

MSHORAD is currently used in Sweden and Lithuania to provide mobile units with a protective shield against aerial threats: fighter jets, helicopters, missiles, rockets, artillery, and more modern threats like as drones and loitering munitions.

2 - UKRAINE

Source: Google Maps

1 thing to know

Russian distilleries that manufacture ethyl alcohol reportedly used by the military were targeted in a Ukrainian drone strike.

The context 

A Ukrainian drone strike reportedly targeted several distilleries, as well as a synthetic rubber plant and a thermal power plant. Posted footage shows fires had broken out near all three. In the last week, Ukraine has launched hundreds of drones against Russian targets, but a majority of them have been intercepted by Russian air defenses. 

Missile strikes on Ukrainian towns have also continued, with 17 people being injured in the latest strike, which damaged over 15 buildings.

More from the region

Despite reports that Russia is planning to produce 149 tanks in 2024, war analysis data has shown that they have been increasingly reliant on refurbished tanks from Soviet-era stockpiles, with a majority of the tanks currently on the battlefield being models no longer in production.  

Verified data shows that Russia has lost 3,000 tanks since the beginning of the war, and over 500 of those in 2024. Data also now suggests that older stockpiles are depleting rapidly.

Even though Russian tank numbers are facing problems, their production of Iskander ballistic missiles has significantly increased, which Ukrainian cities cannot fully defend against.

In the news

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