Israel Orders Air-to-Ground Bombs from Elbit Systems worth $184M

Israel has placed a multi-year order worth more than NIS 570 million ($184 million) with Elbit Systems for air-delivered weapons to support near-term requirements and long-term force build-up.

The order was issued by the Defense Procurement Directorate of Israel’s Ministry of Defense and signed by Director General Maj. Gen. (res.) Amir Baram. The ministry said the contract is also intended to strengthen domestic defense production over the coming decade.

Elbit Systems will reportedly supply general-purpose aerial munitions, which form the baseline inventory for air strikes. These include Mk-84 bombs weighing about 900 kg each. The weapons are unguided munitions that can be fitted with dedicated guidance kits to convert them into precision-guided bombs.

This is the second procurement of aerial munitions from Elbit in the past six months. In August, the Defense Ministry placed two orders totaling NIS 900 million ($290 million), which also included Rampage missiles designed to strike targets from long distances beyond enemy air defense coverage. According to foreign reports, the Israeli Air Force used Rampage missiles during a 12-day conflict with Iran last June.

The latest order follows an agreement signed in October 2024 between Elbit Systems and the ministry to establish a new bomb manufacturing plant in Israel under a broader ammunition supply deal valued at NIS 1.5 billion ($484 million). The ministry described the project as part of efforts to enhance domestic production independence and expand local manufacturing lines.

The new facility is intended to address supply disruptions, including delays in the delivery of Mk-84 and Mk-82 bombs previously manufactured by General Dynamics, which were affected by U.S. administrative decisions during different stages of the war in Gaza.

The Mk-84 bomb contains roughly 430 kilograms of explosives and is used as a warhead for several guided munitions, including GBU-10 and GBU-24 Paveway laser-guided bombs, GBU-15 electro-optical bombs, JDAM variants, and Israel’s Spice 2000, and is reportedly referred to by the Israeli Air Force as “Heavy Hail.”