The Israeli Air Force on Tuesday said it had revived a defunct air defense battalion to operate new anti-drone systems.

The 946th Air Defense Battalion, which previously operated the US-made Chaparral surface-to-air missile system, had been shuttered in 2003.

On Tuesday, a ceremony was held to rededicate the unit, whose new goal is to “provide a new operational solution… for the threat of UAVs and drones in the northern arena,” the military said.

The Hezbollah terror group fired hundreds of drones at Israel from Lebanon during the war, dozens of which made it through Israeli air defenses and caused casualties and damage. Air Force officials have said that the Hezbollah drones were among the most challenging threats amid the war.

The IDF said the 946th Battalion would be made up of hundreds of soldiers, both male and female, and will be an “integral part” of the 91st “Galilee” Regional Division — responsible for the Lebanon border area.

“They will operate along the border line, at sensitive sites and frontier posts,” the military........

© The Times of Israel