Developed by Rafael and SpearUAV, Iron Wasp is a tube-launched interceptor designed to destroy enemy drones and loitering munitions, giving armored formations a new layer of protection against one of the battlefield’s fastest-growing threats.

By Hezy Laing

An Israeli tank can carry sophisticated defenses against incoming missiles and rockets, yet a small explosive drone approaching from above can still pose a deadly threat.

Hezbollah’s attacks in southern Lebanon have demonstrated just how serious this vulnerability has become, prompting Israel’s defense industry to develop new ways of protecting ground forces.

One of the latest answers is Iron Wasp, a new interceptor developed through a partnership between Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and SpearUAV.

Launched like a smoke grenade

Iron Wasp is designed to be carried in a compact, multi-canister launcher mounted directly on an armored vehicle, using a configuration resembling the smoke-grenade launchers familiar to tank crews.

However, it uses a dedicated launch system rather than simply firing from an existing smoke-grenade tube.

This allows armored vehicles to carry several ready-to-launch interceptors and deploy them rapidly, including while moving, without requiring soldiers to leave their positions.

Most importantly, Iron Wasp is intended to help protect an entire formation of tanks and armored vehicles, rather than just the individual vehicle carrying the launcher.

Finding and destroying incoming drones

Iron Wasp builds on SpearUAV’s Viper interceptor technology, combining it with Rafael’s expertise in sensors, tracking and warhead development.

According to defense publication EDR Magazine, the interceptor uses an optical sensor to locate and follow incoming aerial threats, while artificial intelligence assists with the rapid tracking and engagement process.

The system follows a man-on-the-loop approach, meaning a human operator supervises the engagement and can abort it, while the computer handles much of the fast-moving interception process.

Iron Wasp is designed to physically destroy hostile aircraft, including fast-moving FPV drones and loitering munitions that circle above an area before diving toward their targets.

Its specialized warhead is designed to destroy an incoming drone during interception, rather than relying solely on the interceptor physically crashing into it.

This is particularly important against fiber-optic-controlled drones, which receive instructions through a physical cable rather than a radio signal.

Although these drones can still be detected and physically intercepted, their cable-based control makes conventional radio-frequency jamming ineffective.

How far can Iron Wasp reach?

Rafael has not published a confirmed operational range for Iron Wasp, although EDR Magazine has reported an estimated range of just under 10 kilometers.

This would give the system the potential to engage threats at considerably greater distances than some short-range vehicle-mounted defenses, although the actual operational performance has not been independently established.

Iron Wasp is also part of Rafael’s broader effort to develop mobile, layered protection for ground forces.

One example is Force Protector, a vehicle-based counter-drone package described by EDR Magazine that combines radar, optical sensors, a remotely operated machine gun and command-and-control technology.

Iron Wasp is a separate interceptor that Rafael is integrating into its broader approach to protecting maneuvering forces, rather than necessarily being included in every Force Protector configuration.

Lessons from Lebanon and Ukraine

The need for such protection is no longer theoretical.

On April 27, 2026, Hezbollah released footage showing an FPV drone striking an Israeli Merkava tank in the southern Lebanese town of Mays al-Jabal, in an attack reported to have taken place earlier that month.

On April 26, a separate Hezbollah drone attack in Taybeh killed Sgt. Idan Fooks, 19, and wounded six other soldiers as they worked to repair a tank. Additional drones targeted the troops and an evacuation helicopter.

Ukraine has provided another warning, with Russian and Ukrainian forces extensively using inexpensive FPV drones against tanks, artillery and other military vehicles.

The widespread use of fiber-optic drones has made the challenge even greater, demonstrating why armies need defenses that can physically destroy incoming aircraft rather than relying entirely on electronic jamming.

A new layer of protection for armored forces

Iron Wasp does not replace larger air-defense systems such as Iron Dome, nor does it make tanks invulnerable.

Instead, it offers a potentially important defensive capability much closer to the soldiers facing the threat, allowing armored formations to carry their own interceptors rather than depending entirely on separate air-defense units.

For modern armies, protecting tanks increasingly means defending the airspace immediately above them. Rafael’s Iron Wasp is designed to make that protection part of the armored vehicle itself.