A Deeper Look: The Negev Adapter

We’re driven by a simple but ambitious goal: to help IDF units bypass traditional red tape and barriers. Our new initiative, The Sandbox, enables us to act as a defense accelerator and civilian consultancy for the IDF.

We provide financial, logistical, and technical design support to expedite prototypes and solutions that would typically take months—or years—to implement. 

The Israeli military’s recent use of American-made weapons and attachments has highlighted a challenge – compatibility with existing Israeli systems. Aiden Erez, the head of our Defense Team, collaborated with the IDF's elite technological innovation division, to tackle a newly realized compatibility issue: The Israeli Negev machine gun was not operationally compatible with the American PEQ-15 laser designator.

The issue was immediately critical: the PEQ-15 laser, typically used with rifles, was rendered inoperable when paired with the Negev, a squad light automatic machine gun. The heat generated by the Negev during modern combat caused the failure of the newly deployed PEQ-15 lasers. This posed a significant security threat to Ground Forces, particularly at the platoon level and higher. Without functional PEQ-15 lasers, night-time operations became far more dangerous, increasing the risk of friendly fire incidents and compromising soldier safety.

Testing Adaption Solutions:

Aiden was a Negev operator during his army service, so he was uniquely familiar with the platform's tactical applications and nuances. Field operators shared anecdotes about PEQ-15 malfunctions they experienced in the field.
As a safety precaution, we cannot disclose their name, but one soldier from the LOTAR unit (IDF’s Elite Counter Terrorism Unit), shared a quote:

“The Army bought thousands of new PEQ-15s and they worked great for the rifles, but they don't work with the Negev. PEQ-15s just can’t handle the heat of the machine gun. The combat soldiers need this fixed so we can use these new lasers, if not we have to use the old [30+ years in service] lasers which break all the time.” 

The Sandbox team began brainstorming potential solutions; our team conducted an intense market review alongside our IDF technical partners. We were looking for existing solutions that could function as a heat-dispersing adaptor. The market provided a few different varieties of standard Picatinny attachments. We consulted with thermodynamics experts and the manufacturer of the PEQ-15 laser to select available products for Proof of Concept (POC) testing. The goal was to find an existing product that effectively attaches the PEQ-15 laser to the IDF’s Negev platform while dispersing enough heat to allow the laser to function properly. 

Testing Adaption Solutions:

The Sandbox team tested the heat transfer limitations of each potential product in a closed environment. This testing was made possible by leveraging Aiden’s personal experience and working in close collaboration with LOTAR soldiers as a testing unit. Each product was evaluated based on the following factors: Heat Limits, Accuracy of Laser, Cost per unit, and Ease of production. After Aiden's various experiments, he encountered the perfect Picatinny rail system, that if properly modified, can serve as a fast, low-cost, and effective integration of an American laser/an Israeli weapon platform.

Key Features of the Picatinny Adapter:

• Seamless Compatibility: Integrates the PEQ-15 laser and additional attachments to the Negev light machine gun.
• Cost-Effective Solution: Achieves high functionality with minimal expense, ensuring budget-friendly deployment.
• Quick Implementation: Designed for rapid integration, promoting operational readiness.
• Enhanced Flexibility: Adapts American laser systems to Israeli weapon platforms without compromising performance.

Evaluation: Collaboration with Elite Units.

Aiden worked closely with the army's Premier Technological Unit and Ground Forces that have experience operating the Negev in combat applications. The adapter underwent extensive trials, evaluating its performance under various real-world combat scenarios.

The result was a resounding success – the adapter performed as expected, greatly improving the Negev’s accuracy and helping to prevent friendly fire incidents. The units involved in the testing were amazed at how well the adapter performed, reporting improvements in the PEQ-15 durability and performance under stress. 

Taken on the second night of testing, both proved to be long nights as the team went through rigorous testing of real-world applications.

Looking Forward:

And just like that, this became a relatively simple fix that will lead to a big impact. The Negev Adapter is just one example of how The Sandbox has been able to contribute to Israel’s continued innovation in defense technology. With the adapter now in the IDF's hands, it can further enhance the operational efficiency of the military.

This work is only possible through the generous support of donors and partners.

As we continue to expand The Sandbox, we invite you to be part of this journey. Your contributions directly enable projects like the Negev Adapter, that save lives and enhance mission success.