The Israeli Air Force is carrying on a series of exercises to develop its capability to shoot down unmanned air vehicles (UAV) that might be launched in the Jewish country's airspace by guerrilla organizations, such as Hamas or Hezbollah, or by hostile nations, such as Iran.

The pilots of a Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft practised their skills with the 20mm M61 Vulcan cannon to shoot down a target UAV during a training mission recently completed. This kind of threat is among those causing the biggest concern to Tel Aviv's defence in this moment. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole fighter developed by General Dynamics (today Lockheed Martin) in the late 70s. Its success is demonstrated by the fact that it is currently in use by 25 nations, including Italy and Israel, in addition to the U.S.A. It is 14.8 meters long and has a wingspan of 9.8 meters. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 19,200 kg and can reach a speed of 2,414 km/h, with a ceiling of 18,000 meters and a range of 4,220 km. It is armed with a M61 Vulcan cannon and can carry almost 8,000 kg of weaponry between rockets, air-to-air, air-to-ground and anti-ship missiles and bombs. It can also carry a B61 nuclear bomb.