Israeli Military Industries has agreed to a 12.5 million dollar deal with the Americans to provide the improved Itald decoys in place of the Tald model currently in operation in Iraq.

Iraqi television made great play of the discovery of a spent Tald missile in Baghdad after four days of US-British bombardments and Foreign Minister Naji Sabri used the find to allege that Israel was taking part in the war to topple President Saddam Hussein.

But IMI disclosed it was an "air-launched decoy", designed to simulate the appearance of an aircraft on enemy radar screens.

The Tald is fitted with wings allowing it to glide for up to 35 minutes, is launched by an aircraft in flight, weighs 182 kilogrammes (400 pounds), is 2.23 metres (7ft 4in) long and has a range of around 100 kilometres (62 miles).

The Itald is equipped with a jet engine and has a range three times as long, the public company disclosed.

The US military operating in Iraq is also equipped with pilotless "Hunter" reconnaissance drones made by the same company.

SPACE.WIRE