Mission-Ready Grip for the IDF’s Assault Boats

When the IDF Navy Seals set out to upgrade the human-machine interface aboard their commando assault boats, they needed more than an off-the-shelf solution. Operating in high-stress, high-speed maritime environments, where split-second control of weapons and visual systems can determine mission outcomes, the requirement was unambiguous: a control grip that would be robust enough to survive harsh conditions, ergonomic enough to be gripped for hours at a time, and smart enough to integrate seamlessly with complex onboard systems. They turned to AEROMAOZ.

The Operational Requirement

The IDF Navy Seals required a versatile and robust control stick that could withstand the unforgiving realities of commando attack boat operations: constant vibration, salt spray, extreme temperature swings, and the physical demands placed on operators during extended missions. The grip needed to support control of both weapons and visual systems, integrate night vision compatibility for covert operations, and be critically designed in close partnership with the operators who would actually use it. Comfort and precision under physical stress were non-negotiable.

Engineering the Solution

AEROMAOZ approached the project by converging three engineering disciplines – ergonomic, electrical, and mechanical design – into a single, tightly integrated product. The development process was defined by real-time feedback from IDF Navy Seals operators at every stage, ensuring that the final product reflected actual field requirements rather than assumptions. Key features of the delivered grip include:

• High-precision sensors for accurate input detection under dynamic conditions
• Customizable button layouts supporting versatile multi-system functionality
• Robust construction engineered to withstand harsh maritime operational environments
• Optional force feedback for enhanced tactile response during high-intensity operations
• Full NVIS (Night Vision Imaging System) compatibility for covert night operations
• Contoured ergonomic design and lightweight construction, enabling sustained grip for several hours without operator fatigue

The result is a control stick that not only meets the IDF’s demanding performance specifications but sets a benchmark for what purpose-built naval HMI should look like.

The AEROMAOZ mission grip developed for IDF Navy Seals assault boats, featuring multi-function rocker clusters, INT/POS switching, and full NVIS compatibility

AEROMAOZ: Four Decades of Mission-Critical HMI

With over 40 years of experience, AEROMAOZ has established itself as a global leader in the design and manufacture of rugged Human-Machine Interface (HMI) solutions for mission-critical environments. The company’s product portfolio spans military and commercial aviation, armored fighting vehicles, UAV ground control stations, flight simulation platforms, and, as this project demonstrates, naval applications. AEROMAOZ serves some of the world’s most demanding Tier-1 system integrators and platform manufacturers, including Thales, Honeywell, Elbit Systems, BAE Systems, Boeing, Airbus, and Lockheed Martin.

The company’s core product families include control grips and sticks, rugged display panels and bezels, multi-function keypads and pushbutton arrays, and integrated cockpit interface units. They all share a fundamental design philosophy: survive the environment, serve the operator, and perform without compromise. Every product is engineered from the ground up for high-vibration, wide-temperature-range, and electromagnetic-interference-dense environments, fully compliant with military and airworthiness certification standards.

While the IDF Navy Seals assault boat project marks AEROMAOZ’s entry into the naval domain as a direct program of record, the company’s technology is inherently suited to both military and civil maritime applications. The same design principles that enable a display bezel to function reliably in the cockpit of a Boeing or Airbus commercial airliner translate directly to naval vessel bridge systems, coast guard patrol craft, offshore energy platforms, and port authority command centers, as well as military combat management interfaces, remote weapon station controllers, and below-deck operator consoles. AEROMAOZ’s diversified portfolio, which panels, displays, bezels, pushbuttons, and control sticks, positions the company as a capable, experienced partner for both defense and commercial naval integrators seeking HMI solutions engineered to withstand demanding sea environments.

A Blueprint for Naval HMI Innovation

The IDF Navy Seals grip project is more than a product milestone for AEROMAOZ; it is proof of concept for a new domain. The methodology that delivered this grip, one of deep operator co-design, multi-disciplinary engineering integration, and uncompromising attention to in-field performance, is the same methodology AEROMAOZ applies to every program it takes on. For naval procurement offices and system integrators looking for an HMI partner with the experience, infrastructure, and proven track record to deliver where it counts, AEROMAOZ is ready to bring its aerospace heritage to the water.

For more information: www.aeromaoz.co.il

Photos: courtesy of AEROMAOZ