V-RAMBO GIVES ISRAELI ARMY EDGE

Pretty cool stuff from Israel:

Israeli troops are now sporting gear that Dick Tracy would be proud of: tiny video screens, worn on the wrist, which display video shot by unmanned airplanes.

Similar screens have been in use for close to a year in the Israeli military's attack helicopters, helping pilots identify and strike Palestinian militants within seconds.

The technology, which is also in use in tanks and armored vehicles, was a closely guarded secret until the company that developed it offered reporters a rare glimpse at the system this week.

"We are fulfilling the science fiction movies that we see," said Itzhak Beni, chief executive of the Elisra Group's Tadiran Electronic Systems and Tadiran Spectralink companies.

Beni said the communications system has "shortened tremendously" the amount of time it takes to identify and strike a target.

"Before it was minutes, 10 to 12 minutes. Now it's a matter of seconds," he said.

Israel agreed to halt its policy of "targeted killings" under an informal cease-fire declared last month by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. But after a Palestinian suicide bomber killed five Israelis last week, Israel said it would consider resuming the practice. (full article)