From In House Innovation to Market Ready Dual Use AI Platform

When DefenseTech Week Tel Aviv opened at the beginning of December 2025, it brought together a familiar mix of hardware platforms, sensors, and systems from across the global defense ecosystem. Yet among the exhibition halls and plenary sessions, one theme stood out clearly: artificial intelligence is no longer a supporting capability. It is increasingly becoming a defining layer of modern defense systems, and of the organizations that design and operate them.
Elbit Systems was one of the main sponsors of the event, which took place on December 1–2 at Tel Aviv University as part of DefenseTech Week, Israel’s flagship defense innovation gathering. The company’s presence reflected a broader strategic direction: positioning artificial intelligence not as a future vision, but as an operational capability already embedded across products, processes, and platforms.

Positioning Elbit in the AI Domain

On the first day of the conference, Elbit’s CTO addressed the plenary session, outlining how artificial intelligence has become an important aspect of the company’s long-term strategy. From mission systems to enterprise productivity, the message was clear: AI is influencing both how defense technologies are developed and how they are employed.

That strategy was also evident on the exhibition floor. Elbit’s booth focused on AI-driven solutions, including DAITA, a data and AI platform that began as an internal initiative and has since matured into a product with applications extending beyond its original scope. Over the two days of the exhibition, more than one hundred visitors per day engaged with the DAITA team.

“This was a large, international exhibition, even though it took place in Tel Aviv this time,” says Omer, AI Domain Manager at Elbit Systems. “Elbit had a dedicated booth, and the entire concept around it was centered on AI solutions. That goes hand in hand with our goal to position Elbit as a global leader in artificial intelligence.”

Many visitors sought to understand whether DAITA was a conceptual roadmap or a fully operational product. According to Idan, Head of DAITA, the answer was unambiguous. “DAITA has been running as an internal initiative for nearly four years,” he explains. “It received internal funding because there was an urgent need to support our AI R&D teams and a real vacuum in the market. Since then, we have continuously validated ourselves against real needs, real use cases, and real metrics.”

That validation process was on full display at DefenseTech Week. Visitors ranged from defense companies and system integrators to venture capital funds and technology investors, many of whom expressed interest after observing live demonstrations. “We showed how the platform accelerates engineering workflows, improves organizational efficiency, and delivers measurable impact,” Idan says. “People could see that this is not a vision – it works.”

What drew particular attention was DAITA’s position at the intersection of two AI domains in which Elbit is active in. As highlighted during the CTO’s plenary address, one axis focuses on enterprise productivity – embedding AI into daily engineering and organizational processes – while the other integrates AI directly into operational products.

“The data itself is dual-use,” Omer notes. “You see AI chat tools operating inside the organization to support productivity, and at the same time, AI capabilities embedded directly into operational systems. What began as an enterprise productivity initiative can eventually become part of the product portfolio. DAITA is a clear example of that journey.”

Selling Software Is Different

Throughout its development, DAITA has been promoted by Elbit’s innovation and CTO group, both professionally and commercially. Uri, who leads Open Innovation and Digital initiatives within Elbit’s CTO group, emphasizes the importance of that close guidance. “From day one, the CTO organization has been involved – not only in the technology, but also in shaping the business direction and understanding how this capability can meet real market needs.”

That approach helped to set DAITA apart at DefenseTech Week. While some exhibitors focused on hardware platforms and physical systems, DAITA presented a software-centric digital solution with a clear dual-use character. “Defense companies know how to build hardware,” Omer says. “Selling software is a different discipline altogether. What we showed here is that Elbit knows how to do both.”

For the DAITA team, the exhibition also carried a more personal significance. “Presenting the product to people who don’t know us or the organization forces you to be precise,” Idan reflects. “You get honest feedback. People see the demo, understand who’s behind it, and can immediately tell whether it’s real or just slides.”

That exposure, he adds, strengthened the team’s confidence. “It reinforced our position. This is a product with real value, and you could see it resonate with audiences from outside Elbit.”