The sound of guns: IDF general talks artillery, munitions used to fight Hamas

• Published date: 20 April 2024
• Author: SETH J. FRANTZMAN
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

He's the IDF chief of artillery, and he is standing next to a board showcasing this triangle in an office in Tel Aviv at the Defense Ministry. As he points to the triangle, he explains how it applies on the battlefield

"The main thing is to take this and all fire capabilities... so what we have been trying for the last decade is thinking about this triangle and trying to prepare and improve."

IDF fire: How the military is changing

When the IDF uses the term "fire," it means all the munitions that can be brought to the battlefield to be used against the enemy. This can include artillery but also can include airplanes firing missiles, or naval units.

This is part of how the IDF has changed over the last years, and it is also how Western militaries are changing. New technology enables units to be connected together. That means that infantry or tanks in the field are more connected to their battalion and brigades and, in turn, to their division; and together, they are more networked with artillery support and other fire support. What that means is that a lot of complex processes that might have taken time in the past to bring in a barrage of 155-mm. artillery shells to destroy an enemy threat can now be done faster.

This is where the triangle comes in. For a unit to maneuver, it needs information and needs to be supported by fire.

"What happened during the war is the [improvement of] the connection between them – the maneuver and the information – and choosing where to put the right kind of fire. I don't care if it comes from the sky, land, or sea.... What I care about is the right time, right place... right size [of munition]," says Natans.

Natans enlisted in the IDF in 1996, during the Oslo [Accord] years. It was also the year of Operation Grapes of Wrath against Hezbollah. Natans came to the Artillery Corps in that year and eventually went through an officers' course and took command of what is now the 282nd Fire Brigade. Back in the day, that unit was called the Golan Formation.

The Artillery Corps includes what we generally think of as artillery, meaning 155-mm. howitzers or cannons. It also includes a rocket array and the Hermes 450 Zik drones and the Sky Riders, which use smaller Skylark drones for surveillance. The artillery also uses special precision munitions.

The 282nd artillery unit is usually part of the IDF's 36th Division, which has played a key role in the Gaza war since Oct. 7. It is now positioned in the North, preparing for possible...