Orbiter 4
Israel's Aeronautics Orbiter 4 is a Group 3 tactical UAS that packs 12 kg dual-payload ISR capability — EO/IR, SAR, SIGINT — into a 50 kg airframe with a 24-hour endurance and field-switchable VTOL option, already combat-proven in Gaza as the IAF's Nitzoz.
A Group 3 tactical UAS from Israel's Aeronautics Ltd. that packs Group 4 ISR sensor capability — dual-station 12 kg payload, VTOL option, 24-hour endurance — into a man-portable footprint; in Israeli service as the Nitzoz and exported to Singapore, Greece and undisclosed customers.
Overview
The Aeronautics Orbiter 4, designated Nitzoz ("Spark") in Israeli Air Force service, is a fixed-wing, runway-independent tactical unmanned aircraft system that bridges the payload and persistence of a Group 4 MALE UAS with the logistical footprint of a Group 2 platform. A single three-person crew can launch, operate, and recover the 50 kg airframe from land or ship, field-switchable between pneumatic catapult and a VTOL configuration without returning to depot. Its dual-station payload bay accommodates electro-optical/infrared designators, synthetic-aperture radar, maritime patrol radar, and SIGINT packages simultaneously, making the system a multi-mission ISR node for ground, naval, and special-operations forces.
Development
Aeronautics Ltd. introduced the Orbiter mini-UAS family in the early 2000s, and the top-end Orbiter 4 variant was first revealed at Defexpo India in February 2020 and IDEX 2021, according to Defense Update. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems had already acquired Aeronautics in September 2019, consolidating the airframe with its Microlite EO/IR gimbal and other payloads in a deal valued at NIS 850 million (Defense News). The Israeli Air Force formally received the system in September 2022 under the classified “Storm Clouds” program, as Defense Update reported, while export orders followed rapidly: Singapore acquired an undisclosed quantity in March 2022 (FlightGlobal), and the Hellenic Army received “large numbers” in April 2023, paired with SPIKE-NLOS missiles. In June 2025 the manufacturer announced contracts exceeding $50 million for Orbiter 4 variants from multiple undisclosed customers (EDR Magazine). Corporate ownership remains in flux: in February 2026 US firm Ondas Holdings sought to acquire Aeronautics from Rafael, a move that requires Israeli Ministry of Defense approval (Calcalistech).
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