The directorate of Israel Aerospace Industries, headed by chairman Dov Baharav, appointed Yossi Weiss as the IAI's new CEO on Thursday. Weiss, who has served as IAI's vice president and head of its missile and space system development department for the past six years, replaces Yitzhak Nissan. The appointment of Weiss is pending the approval of Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz. Before joining IAI, Weiss spent 27 years in the Israeli navy and was discharged with the rank of colonel. Before being appointed CEO, Weiss was involved in receiving the Dolphin class submarines Israel purchased from Germany. According to IAI's Internet page, "Israel Aerospace Industries is globally recognized as a leader in developing military and commercial aerospace technology. This distinction is the result of nearly half a century of designing, engineering and manufacturing, for customers throughout the world." IAI is responsible for the manufacture of many innovative aerial vehicles, such as the cutting-edge Ghost surveillance drone, which is a light nine-pound unmanned aerial vehicle that looks like a miniature version of the Chinook helicopter. It also manufacturers ground-based systems, including a wide range of precision weapons, defense suppression systems, autonomous and robotic systems, ground surveillance radars, intelligence systems, and de-mining systems.
