The United States is helping convert Israeli bombs into precision weapons to limit mass civilian casualties during military operations in Gaza.
High-tech Spice (smart precision impact, cost-effective) kit worth $320m (£252m) allows unguided dumb bombs to hit targets with much greater accuracy Sent to the National Defense Force (IDF).
Israel has been heavily criticized for the high civilian death toll in the Gaza Strip, although the Israel Defense Forces insist it avoids collateral damage as much as possible.
Equipped with a guidance kit, the bomb uses a scene matching algorithm to attack targets that match pre-loaded images.
You can correct your course even if you deviate from the course, and you can drive even in fog or darkness. It is not affected by GPS jammers that can disable other guided weapons.
A CNN analysis in December found that nearly half of the air-to-ground weapons Israel drops in the Gaza Strip are dam bombs, posing a significant danger to civilians.
Danger for Israeli pilots
The U.S. believes the kit will also limit the danger to Israeli pilots, who are forced to swoop low over targets to more accurately aim.
The kit consists of a new nose cone and wing-like fins that will launch a 1,000-pound bomb at a range of up to 75 miles and a 2,000-pound bomb from a distance of 37 miles. It can also be used to attack slow-moving vehicles.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Rafael, an Israeli company with a U.S. subsidiary that makes the kit, is transferring the equipment to its Israeli parent company for use by the Israel Defense Forces.
Israel’s conflict in Gaza, a densely populated area home to about 2 million Palestinians, has taken a heavy toll on civilians after months of fighting.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said more than 25,000 civilians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since October and called on Israel to do more to protect innocent lives.