ISRAEL - Challenging China’s Drone Dominance

There is no good time to be hit by a missile. The case of Aero Sentinel, however, is an extraordinary one. In April, a few days after American company Veloryx acquired 70% of the company for NIS 35 million, an Iranian missile hit its plant in Petah Tikva and completely destroyed it. Four months later, Aero Sentinel moved to Tel Aviv. Now it wants to become the first Israeli mass producer of intelligence-gathering drones, and to put an end to the use of Chinese products by IDF ground forces.

Chinese giant DJI controls 80% of the global drone market for both defense and civilian uses. Chinese companies have a better starting point than any Western company because the Chinese government is subsidizing 100% of export logistics costs of Chinese companies until 2027 and 40% of the cost of the exported goods.

“The ability to manufacture advanced defense systems in Israel is a strategic necessity, especially drones, which have become a critical element in the success of defensive and offensive missions,” Aero Sentinel chief marketing officer Ofir Avram told Globes. “Our goal is to supply reliable systems at a fair price that can be integrated into existing operational systems and deployed as a real force multiplier, while reinforcing Israel’s industrial independence and reducing its dependence on external suppliers, which is liable to become an Achilles’ heel in a geopolitical crisis or an emergency.”

-en.globes.co.il, 16 August 2026

Commentary: In 1898, Nikola Tesla, a Serbian, patented a remote-controlled vehicle concept, laying the groundwork for radio guidance.

In 1917, British engineer Archibald Low tested the Ruston Proctor Aerial Target, a radio-controlled aircraft for gunnery practice.

From this perspective, drones are nothing new. Yet they become a great issue in the latest military conflicts. We know that Ukrainian drones are inflicting heavy damage against Russia’s military forces.

In Israel, drones are very effective at monitoring enemies. While an Iranian missile completely destroyed the drone factory in Petah Tikva, it has now been relocated to Tel Aviv.

What will happen next is almost predictable: Israel will become the major source of development when it comes to drones, out of necessity because of the danger from Iran.

While the Bible does not say anything about these modern drones, we are reminded of the judge Deborah and her song of victory: “They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera” (Judges 5:20). The chapter concludes: “So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years” (v. 31).

In the meantime, we think of Psalm 2:2-5: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.”

(See Messianic Psalms, Item #1074, $14.95.)