Defense & Security 2025: SK Group closes in on Arbel opportunities in Asia

The Arbel computerised weapon system is seen integrated onto the IWI Arad multicalibre assault rifle at the Defense & Security 2025 show in Bangkok. (Janes/Jon Grevatt)

Israel's SK Group is pursuing opportunities in the Asia-Pacific to export the new computerised firing mechanism for small arms, known as Arbel, produced by subsidiary Israel Weapon Industries (IWI).

Doron Korol, vice-president of SK Group's marketing and sales in Asia-Pacific, told Janes on 10 November at the Defense & Security 2025 show in Bangkok that Thailand could be the first regional customer of the system.

“I believe Thailand could acquire Arbel in 2026,” he said. “We see opportunities across the Asia-Pacific for this kind of solution.” Given Israel's defence sales profile in the region, countries in which Arbel opportunities are most likely to exist include India, Thailand, the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.

Korol said Arbel is already being operated by armed forces in the West but did not elaborate. Janes understands that Arbel is being proposed as a solution for the Thai military's special forces.

SK Group describes IWI's Arbel as a system that can “improve operator lethality and survivability by engaging threats accurately, in a short window of opportunity, while under stress and fatigue”. SK Group is marketing Arbel as primarily a counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) solution.

The company said that Arbel eliminates the need for operators to execute “complex trigger work … allowing the shooter to focus entirely on target tracking and aiming”.