Israel Aerospace Industries
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), founded in 1953 and headquartered in Lod, Israel, is Israel's state-owned aerospace and defense company and one of the world's most technically sophisticated small satellite manufacturers — building reconnaissance satellites, communications satellites, and the Shavit launch vehicle for the Israeli government while exporting satellite technology globally.
- Founded
- 1953
- Headquarters
- Lod, Israel
- Ownership
- Private
- Valuation
- $5.00B
Quick Facts
About Israel Aerospace Industries
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), founded in 1953 and headquartered in Lod, Israel, is Israel's state-owned aerospace and defense company and one of the world's most technically sophisticated small satellite manufacturers — building reconnaissance satellites, communications satellites, and the Shavit launch vehicle for the Israeli government while exporting satellite technology globally.
IAI's OFEQ (Ofek) series of reconnaissance satellites are Israel's classified intelligence-gathering constellation, launched by the Shavit rocket from the Palmachim air base on westward retrograde trajectories over the Mediterranean to avoid overflying hostile neighbors — one of only two such westward-launched satellite programs globally. OFEQ satellites carry electro-optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging payloads providing strategic intelligence on regional military developments. IAI manufactures the buses, payload integration, and ground segment for the classified OFEQ constellation on behalf of the Israeli Defense Intelligence.
IAI's Space Systems division also produces EROS (Earth Remote Observation Satellite) commercial high-resolution optical observation satellites, operated by ImageSat International (ISI), providing sub-meter resolution imagery commercially and to government intelligence customers. The EROS satellites demonstrate that IAI's classified reconnaissance bus technology has direct commercial counterpart applications.
The Shavit (Comet) is a three-stage solid-fuel launch vehicle developed from Israel's Jericho ICBM heritage, capable of placing 350 kg into polar retrograde LEO from Palmachim — one of the smallest national orbital launch vehicles ever developed. Shavit launched Israel's first satellite (OFEQ-1) in 1988, making Israel the eighth nation to independently achieve orbital launch capability.
IAI exports satellite technology and systems to Singapore (TecSAR), India (co-development programs), and other partner nations. The company competes with Elbit Systems in Israeli defense, and with Airbus DS and Thales Alenia in international satellite procurement, generating over $3.5B annual revenue across its aerospace, space, and defense divisions.
Products and product lines
| Product | Line | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ofek reconnaissance satellites | Reconnaissance satellite series | IAI-built electro-optical/SAR reconnaissance satellites for Israeli defense intelligence, launched on the Shavit rocket from Palmachim air base; the latest, Ofek-19 (TecSAR-4), reached orbit on 2 September 2025. |
| Shavit | Small-lift launch vehicle | Three-stage solid-fuel orbital launcher derived from Jericho missile heritage, used exclusively to loft Ofek satellites westward (retrograde) from Palmachim to avoid overflying neighboring states. |
| EROS commercial observation satellites | Earth observation satellite | Sub-metre electro-optical satellites designed and manufactured by IAI for operator ImageSat International; EROS C3, based on the OPTSAT-3000 design, is the newest in orbit (launched December 2022), with EROS C4 planned. |
| Dror-1 | National communications satellite | IAI-built satellite that IAI's own corporate history page credits with a successful 2025 launch as Israel's new national government communications satellite. |
| Beresheet lunar lander (heritage) | Lunar lander | IAI was prime contractor for SpaceIL's Beresheet lander, which crash-landed in 2019; the follow-on Beresheet 2 is led by SpaceIL with Firefly Aerospace building the landers, and SpaceIL suspended work on it in April 2025 after failing to secure funding — IAI has no stated role in Beresheet 2. |
Timeline
- 2025 SpaceIL suspends work on the Beresheet 2 lunar mission (for which IAI is not the prime contractor) in April after failing to secure funding, despite a January 2025 UAE-Italy cooperation MOU. [source]
- 2025 IAI's Ofek-19 (TecSAR-4) reconnaissance satellite launches on 2 September, the latest in the Ofeq series manufactured and operated by IAI. [source]
- 2025 IAI marks the successful launch of Dror-1, Israel's new national communications satellite, per the company's own milestone timeline. [source]
- 2026 Boaz Levy, IAI's CEO since 2020, is approved as Chairman of IAI's board of directors in May, stepping down from the CEO role. [source]
- 2026 IAI's board appoints Guy Barlev — previously Executive VP and General Manager of the Systems, Missiles & Space Group for six years — as company CEO, effective 21 July, succeeding Levy. [source]
- 2026 IAI publishes record H1 2026 financial results (16 August) with revenue of $4.275 billion, up from $3.228 billion in H1 2025, and an order backlog of $35 billion. [source]
Team
Signals
- Verification
- Verified 2026-09-10
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Frequently asked about Israel Aerospace Industries
Quick answers to the questions readers most often search for.
- When was Israel Aerospace Industries founded?
- Israel Aerospace Industries was founded in 1953 in Israel.
- Where is Israel Aerospace Industries headquartered?
- Israel Aerospace Industries is headquartered in Lod, Israel.
- What does Israel Aerospace Industries do?
- Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), founded in 1953 and headquartered in Lod, Israel, is Israel's state-owned aerospace and defense company and one of the world's most technically sophisticated small satellite manufacturers — building reconnaissance satellites, communications satellites, and the Shavit launch vehicle fo…
- Is Israel Aerospace Industries a public or private company?
- Israel Aerospace Industries is a privately held company and is not listed on any stock exchange.
- What sector does Israel Aerospace Industries operate in?
- Israel Aerospace Industries works in satellite manufacturing, Defense and Launch services.
Sources
The structured fields on this page (founding year, location, sector, status, listing) and the profile text are drawn from the sources below. How profiles are drafted and checked is described in our methodology.
- Official website (www.iai.co.il)
- Company LinkedIn page
- Wikidata / Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Wikipedia: Boaz Levy · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Wikipedia: Ofeq · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Wikipedia: EROS (satellite) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Wikipedia: Beresheet 2 · retrieved 2026-09-10
- IAI: Company History (milestone timeline) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- IAI: IAI Board Appoints Guy Barlev as Company CEO (21 Jul 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- IAI: IAI Publishes its Financial Results for H1 and Q2 2026 (16 Aug 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-10
Data Accuracy Notice: Information about Israel Aerospace Industries is compiled from publicly available sources including company websites, press releases, regulatory filings, and industry reports. Data is reviewed periodically but may not reflect the most recent developments.