Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) was founded in 1953 (as Bedek Aviation Company) and is Israel's largest state-owned aerospace and defense company, headquartered in Lod near Ben Gurion Airport. IAI has grown into a diversified aerospace conglomerate spanning satellites, missile defense systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, commercial and military aircraft conversion, and radar and electronic warfare systems.

IAI's space division, MBT Space, designs and manufactures Israel's satellite programs including the Ofeq series of reconnaissance satellites, the Amos series of commercial communications satellites, and the TecSAR synthetic aperture radar satellite. IAI has also developed lunar exploration technology, most notably the Beresheet lunar lander, Israel's first attempt at a lunar landing mission launched in 2019.

Beyond space systems, IAI is globally recognized for its unmanned aerial vehicle programs (including the Heron and Harop loitering munition families), missile defense systems developed in cooperation with the Israeli Ministry of Defense and US partners (including contributions to Arrow and David's Sling missile defense systems), and commercial aircraft maintenance, repair, and conversion services. IAI exports defense and aerospace technology to customers worldwide and is a cornerstone of Israel's domestic defense industrial base.