Thailand’s navy has recently acquired a counter-drone system from Israel-based Skylock Systems; although financial details of the agreement were not disclosed, according to Calcalist the deal could be valued at US$4.29 million.

The Thai Navy will receive the counter-drone system within the next eight months, dictates the agreement.

Skylock, founded in 2018 by the Avnon Group and based in central Israeli town of Petah Tikva, enables security teams to locate and capture unauthorised drones once one has been detected.

The specific system acquired by the Thai navy is designed to protect naval ports and has an operating range of 10 kilometres.

This is not the first time Thailand has turned to Israel for counter-drone systems; in January 2018, Calcalist reported that a short-range drone defence system developed by Israeli arms manufacturer IMI Systems Ltd. (Israeli Military Industries) was used for the first time by the Thai Air Force.

_{(Issue Dec 2019/ Jan 2020)}

A team of Israeli students from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology won a gold medal in a prestigious, international science competition in Boston, US, for their development of bee-free honey.

The Technion team has been working on the honey for the past year, according to the University, and won a gold medal for its efforts at the iGem competition (International Genetically Engineered Machine).

Established in 2003 by MIT, the contest gives students the opportunity to experiment with aspects of scientific and applied research in synthetic biology.

One of the requirements of the competition is to develop a scientific-technological idea alongside a real business enterprise. The team’s synthetic honey is made with the bacterium Bacillus subtilis, which “learns” to mimic the honey following reprogramming in the lab, the Technion said.

Also known as hay bacillus or grass bacillus, Bacillus subtilis is found in soil and vegetation and is also present in the gastrointestinal tracts of humans.

“The bacteria can independently control the production of enzymes, eventually achieving a product with the same sugar profile as real honeyand the same health benefits,” the team’s entry on the competition’s website explains.

The development, Technion says, is important within the context of the sharp decline in bee populations in many parts of the world. It provides a starting point for potential future endeavours of manufacturers, allowing them to determine practical factors including how it would taste. The product would be considered vegan, as no animals will have been used in the process of making the synthetic honey. If the artificial honey becomes available commercially, it will have tapped into a vegan food market worth over US$20 billion worldwide by 2026.