As enemy drones and fast-moving targets pose growing threats to soldiers, an Israeli innovation could make machine guns more accurate and effective.
By Hezy Laing
Imagine a machine gun that uses a computer to determine the best moment to fire, helping soldiers hit targets that would otherwise be difficult to strike.
That’s the idea behind ARBEL, an Israeli computerized fire-control system designed to improve the accuracy of conventional weapons, particularly against moving targets.
Developed by Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), ARBEL can be integrated with compatible firearms, including the Israeli-made Negev 7 machine gun. Rather than replacing the weapon, the technology adds computerized assistance to improve its performance.
The innovation could be particularly valuable against small enemy drones, which have become an increasingly serious threat to soldiers on modern battlefields.
How the computerized system works
The Negev 7 is a powerful Israeli machine gun that fires 7.62mm NATO ammunition. Designed for infantry combat, it can operate in both semi-automatic and fully automatic modes.
But even an effective machine gun faces a basic challenge: maintaining accuracy when the weapon is moving, particularly while firing repeated shots.
ARBEL is designed to address that problem by controlling the timing of fire.
The soldier aims the weapon and pulls the trigger, firing the first shot mechanically, just as with a conventional firearm.
If the soldier continues holding the trigger, the computerized system monitors the weapon’s movement and regulates the release of subsequent shots.
Instead of firing at a fixed rate regardless of the weapon’s position, ARBEL attempts to release rounds when the gun is better aligned with the intended target.
The soldier still identifies the target, aims and decides when to fire. The computer assists with timing rather than independently selecting targets.
This does not make the Negev 7 an autonomous weapon, nor does it guarantee that every round will hit its target.
Could it help soldiers shoot down enemy drones?
One of ARBEL’s most promising potential applications is defending against small enemy drones.
These aircraft can be extremely difficult to hit with conventional firearms. Their small size, rapid movement and ability to change direction make them challenging targets, even for experienced soldiers.
IWI has promoted ARBEL’s ability to improve shooting performance against moving targets, including drones.
By improving the timing of shots, the technology could increase the chances of hitting such targets while reducing ammunition consumption.
That could prove particularly useful for infantry units operating without immediate access to specialized counter-drone equipment.
However, ARBEL is not a substitute for dedicated air-defense systems, and performance demonstrated with one weapon configuration does not automatically establish identical results with the Negev 7.
More accuracy without replacing the weapon
Another important advantage of ARBEL is that it can enhance compatible existing firearms rather than requiring soldiers to adopt entirely new weapons.
The system combines conventional mechanical operation with computerized fire control, allowing familiar weapons to benefit from modern technology.
For infantry soldiers, improved accuracy could mean fewer wasted rounds and more effective fire against moving targets.
That matters during prolonged combat operations, when ammunition is heavy, resupply can be difficult and soldiers must carefully manage their available resources.
There are also practical questions about reliability, maintenance and performance under demanding battlefield conditions.
Although IWI has developed ARBEL for compatible weapons, including the Negev 7, that does not by itself establish whether the IDF has deployed this particular configuration in combat.
Israeli innovation meets a changing battlefield
For decades, improvements in infantry weapons have largely focused on mechanical design, ammunition and optical sights.
ARBEL represents a different approach: using computerized technology to make conventional weapons more effective without fundamentally changing how soldiers operate them.
Its ultimate value will depend on how reliably it performs under actual combat conditions, beyond manufacturer demonstrations and controlled testing.
But the potential is substantial. As drones and other moving threats become more common, the ability to improve accuracy without replacing existing weapons could offer infantry forces an important advantage.
For Israeli soldiers facing an increasingly unpredictable battlefield, the difference between missing a fast-moving threat and hitting it could be the difference between life and death.
