Israel Defense Prize 2026 Awarded to IDF, Mossad, ISA & Defense Industries for Groundbreaking Projects That Significantly Impacted Combat Operations
10/6/2026
President of Israel Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and Director General of the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amir Baram presented the 2026 Israel Defense Prize today, recognizing five outstanding projects developed by the IMOD, the IDF, the Mossad, and Israeli defense industries for their significant contribution to national security and to preserving Israel's technological and operational superiority.
This year’s awards were marked by Operations Roaring Lion and Rising Lion, and honored projects including a unique weapons system that played a central role in the campaign against Iran, the Ofek satellite constellation, and electronic warfare systems that preserved IAF air superiority.
The ceremony was attended by Mossad Director Roman Gofman, ISA Director David Zini, and other senior officials.
The winning projects:
This year’s awards were marked by Operations Roaring Lion and Rising Lion, and honored projects including a unique weapons system that played a central role in the campaign against Iran, the Ofek satellite constellation, and electronic warfare systems that preserved IAF air superiority.
The ceremony was attended by Mossad Director Roman Gofman, ISA Director David Zini, and other senior officials.
The winning projects:
1. A unique weapons system of Israeli development and manufacture that was deployed in combat and achieved exceptional results, making a strategically significant and unique contribution to national security. The system played a central role in the campaign against Iran. The award was presented to the Israeli Air Force, the IMOD, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
2. A classified operational system that significantly expands the Mossad's collection and operational capabilities across a broad spectrum of missions. The project embodies extraordinary technological innovation and unprecedented operational boldness. The award was presented to the Mossad, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and the Israeli Air Force.
3. The Ofek 13 and Ofek 19 satellite programs that enable the defense establishment to receive high-quality, reliable intelligence at any given moment. The Ofek satellites represent a breakthrough in both performance and volume and weight. The award was presented to IAI's Missile and Space Division and ELTA Systems Division, the Space Directorate, and the R&D Unit within the IMODS's Directorate of Defense Research and Development (MAFAT), and Unit 9900 of the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate.
4. A technological development by Unit 81 in the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate addressing a unique operational challenge delivers complex, innovative, and precise solutions to a focused problem that had long occupied the defense establishment. The award was presented to the C2 Systems Directorate, Unit 8200, the Research Division of the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate, and to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
5. Electronic warfare systems developed to preserve IAF air superiority that combine several innovative and unique technological advances, constituting a world-class breakthrough that provides Israel with superpower-level capabilities across all combat domains. The systems were proven in combat and were among the key factors in preventing the interception of manned aircraft. The award was presented to the IMOD’s DDR&D, the Mossad, the Israeli Air Force, Elbit Systems' Elisra, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, and Unit 8200 of the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate.
President Isaac Herzog: “In presenting this prize, we honor the creativity, the audacity, and the ingenuity within the IDF and across our defense establishment. Yet, as we are reminded time and again, we must never take anything for granted and continue to ensure three elements: the first is flexibility and adaptability to a changing reality – in the world we live in, the value of Israeli innovation cannot be overstated. The second is human and intellectual diversity, and the third is the remarkable Israeli spirit that underpins every invention and every achievement. Now, as always, only together will we meet every challenge – but at an occasion like this, when we honor our most creative solutions, we must also remember the most fundamental things: where the plow cuts the earth, there lies our border. Our security rests on everyday life and on settlement. Decision-makers must place these at the top of their priorities, enabling normal life and productive endeavor, even amid an ongoing campaign. To you, our dear laureates – on behalf of the entire State of Israel, I wish to say: thank you.Our thoughts are with the IDF soldiers and security forces serving on the various fronts at this very moment. I wish to send an embrace to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones, and strength to all those wounded in body or spirit – we all hope for your recovery, and we hold you close.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz: “The ability to provide our forces – in defense and in offense – with the most advanced capabilities in the world, born from the Israeli mind: it is this ability that enables the immense strength of the State of Israel, of our defense establishment, and of Israel’s defense industries. Over the past year, we have seen, on both nearby and distant fronts, how these capabilities, systems, and groundbreaking developments have borne fruit in the campaign against our enemies. The combination of best-in-class technologies and the courage of commanders and fighters – in the air, on land, and at sea – is what enabled us to strike our enemies in Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, and other arenas, and has granted the State of Israel unprecedented operational, intelligence, and technological superiority.”
The award committee was chaired by Maj. Gen. (Res.) Meir Klifi, alongside Maj. Gen. (Res.) Itzik Turgeman, an academic representative, and the committee secretary.
About the Israel Defense Prize:
The Israel Defense Prize was established by Israel's first Prime Minister and Defense Minister, David Ben-Gurion, who sought to recognize the contribution of research and development personnel to Israel's security. The prize is named after Eliyahu Golomb, the unofficial commander of the Haganah. Past recipients include groundbreaking projects such as the Uzi submachine gun, the Galil rifle, the Kfir combat aircraft, the Gabriel missile, the Merkava Mark 3 tank, aerial defense systems including Arrow, Iron Dome, and David's Sling, the Trophy active protection system for tanks and APCs, the Tzayad C4I system, the Tunnel Detection project, the Iranian nuclear archive operation, and more.
2. A classified operational system that significantly expands the Mossad's collection and operational capabilities across a broad spectrum of missions. The project embodies extraordinary technological innovation and unprecedented operational boldness. The award was presented to the Mossad, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and the Israeli Air Force.
3. The Ofek 13 and Ofek 19 satellite programs that enable the defense establishment to receive high-quality, reliable intelligence at any given moment. The Ofek satellites represent a breakthrough in both performance and volume and weight. The award was presented to IAI's Missile and Space Division and ELTA Systems Division, the Space Directorate, and the R&D Unit within the IMODS's Directorate of Defense Research and Development (MAFAT), and Unit 9900 of the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate.
4. A technological development by Unit 81 in the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate addressing a unique operational challenge delivers complex, innovative, and precise solutions to a focused problem that had long occupied the defense establishment. The award was presented to the C2 Systems Directorate, Unit 8200, the Research Division of the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate, and to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
5. Electronic warfare systems developed to preserve IAF air superiority that combine several innovative and unique technological advances, constituting a world-class breakthrough that provides Israel with superpower-level capabilities across all combat domains. The systems were proven in combat and were among the key factors in preventing the interception of manned aircraft. The award was presented to the IMOD’s DDR&D, the Mossad, the Israeli Air Force, Elbit Systems' Elisra, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, and Unit 8200 of the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate.
President Isaac Herzog: “In presenting this prize, we honor the creativity, the audacity, and the ingenuity within the IDF and across our defense establishment. Yet, as we are reminded time and again, we must never take anything for granted and continue to ensure three elements: the first is flexibility and adaptability to a changing reality – in the world we live in, the value of Israeli innovation cannot be overstated. The second is human and intellectual diversity, and the third is the remarkable Israeli spirit that underpins every invention and every achievement. Now, as always, only together will we meet every challenge – but at an occasion like this, when we honor our most creative solutions, we must also remember the most fundamental things: where the plow cuts the earth, there lies our border. Our security rests on everyday life and on settlement. Decision-makers must place these at the top of their priorities, enabling normal life and productive endeavor, even amid an ongoing campaign. To you, our dear laureates – on behalf of the entire State of Israel, I wish to say: thank you.Our thoughts are with the IDF soldiers and security forces serving on the various fronts at this very moment. I wish to send an embrace to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones, and strength to all those wounded in body or spirit – we all hope for your recovery, and we hold you close.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz: “The ability to provide our forces – in defense and in offense – with the most advanced capabilities in the world, born from the Israeli mind: it is this ability that enables the immense strength of the State of Israel, of our defense establishment, and of Israel’s defense industries. Over the past year, we have seen, on both nearby and distant fronts, how these capabilities, systems, and groundbreaking developments have borne fruit in the campaign against our enemies. The combination of best-in-class technologies and the courage of commanders and fighters – in the air, on land, and at sea – is what enabled us to strike our enemies in Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, and other arenas, and has granted the State of Israel unprecedented operational, intelligence, and technological superiority.”
The award committee was chaired by Maj. Gen. (Res.) Meir Klifi, alongside Maj. Gen. (Res.) Itzik Turgeman, an academic representative, and the committee secretary.
About the Israel Defense Prize:
The Israel Defense Prize was established by Israel's first Prime Minister and Defense Minister, David Ben-Gurion, who sought to recognize the contribution of research and development personnel to Israel's security. The prize is named after Eliyahu Golomb, the unofficial commander of the Haganah. Past recipients include groundbreaking projects such as the Uzi submachine gun, the Galil rifle, the Kfir combat aircraft, the Gabriel missile, the Merkava Mark 3 tank, aerial defense systems including Arrow, Iron Dome, and David's Sling, the Trophy active protection system for tanks and APCs, the Tzayad C4I system, the Tunnel Detection project, the Iranian nuclear archive operation, and more.
כתבות נוספות
10/6/2026
Israel Defense Prize 2026 Awarded to IDF, Mossad, ISA & Defense Industries for Groundbreaking Projects That Significantly Impacted Combat Operations
5/6/2026