There are defense companies that are constantly in the headlines, but there are those that like to keep themselves and their activities beneath the radar. One such defense company is Tomer, which on Saturday night made headlines after a major explosion at its plant near Beit Shemesh. "Globes" sheds light on Tomer, a government-owned defense company that prefers to remain in the shadows.
What can be said about the explosion?
The company said that the explosion on Saturday night at its plant near Beit Shemesh, "Was a routine test, which went according to plan and achieved all its goals as planned." A source familiar with the details told "Globes" that "Advance notice was given to all rescue forces, and no emergency body was called following the test."
Is this an unusual event?
A similar explosion took place at Tomer's facility in Beit Shemesh in 2021, and also then, the defense company said it was a pre-scheduled test."
What are Tomer's areas of activity?
Tomer is a national center of knowledge in rocket propulsion that operates in three sectors: missiles and rockets; satellites; and air defense. In terms of missiles and rockets, Tomer develops and manufactures rocket engines for guided missiles and artillery systems for a variety of ranges.
Among the weapons in which Tomer provides integral parts are the AccuLAR - a precision missile with a range of up to 40 kilometers, which is in operational use by the IDF Artillery Corps, Extra - extended range artillery - a missile that can reach up to 150 kilometers, Rampage, an air-to-ground missile also with a range of 150 kilometers, and Predator Hawk, a precision missile with a range of 300 kilometers.
In the field of satellites, although Israel Aerospace industries (IAI) is considered the home of Israel's space capabilities, here too there is national dependence on Tomer, which develops and manufactures the rocket engines in the Shavit satellite launcher, which accelerates the Ofek satellite for its missions. The Ofek satellites are designed for surveillance missions to gather vital information and are launched into space from the Air Force base in the center of the country. The engines integrated into the Shavit launcher are among the most advanced of their kind in the world.
In air defense systems, Tomer's engines are found in systems that Israeli companies supply to both the Air Force and foreign armies. First and foremost, the engines manufactured by Tomer are found in the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 interceptor missiles. At the same time, the company is in advanced development of the engines for the Arrow 4 system, which is intended to replace the Arrow 2. Tomer is also responsible for the engines for the Silver Sparrow target missile, which is manufactured at Rafael, and simulates the ballistic missile that the Arrow systems are required to intercept.
Another system manufactured by IAI in which Tomer plays a critical role, and is not an integral part of Israel's multi-layered defense system, is the Barak MX air defense system. Among the unique propulsion systems, a two-pulse engine has been developed with technology that allows each of the pulses (booster and cruise) to be activated separately. In addition, Tomer produces booster engines. These are relatively small engines that serve as accelerators for interceptor missiles, which provide the missiles with an initial thrust that brings them to the required height for the activation of the interception stages.
What are the company's financial results?
Government-owned Tomer does not publish transactions with foreign countries, due to its status as a subcontractor for major Israeli defense companies, including Elbit, IAI, and Rafael. The company’s revenue in 2025 was NIS 645 million, operating profit was NIS 45 million, and net profit was NIS 41 million.
Why is Tomer's activity so classified?
In the defense world, where all technological subfields are considered classified anyway, rocket propulsion is considered especially classified, due to its advanced technology status. Without Tomer's technological advantage on an international scale, Israel's offensive and defensive results, especially against Iran, would have been much more modest.
How many employees does Tomer have?
The company has about 900 employees, including physicists, engineers, and tech professionals. About three months ago, Adv. Dotan Gabay was appointed CEO, succeeding the CEO for the past ten years - Mordechai Ben-Ami.
The government approved the privatization of Israel Military Industries (IMI Systems) in 2013, but the state wanted to retain certain capabilities. Therefore, it separated IMI from Tomer, which specializes in heavy propulsion systems, including development, production, testing, experimentation, proof-of-concept, maintenance and upkeep.
The new company Tomer was founded in 2015, based on employees at IMI’s Givon and Slavin plants. In March 2018, when the state reached an agreement to sell IMI to Elbit, the transfer of operations to Tomer was accelerated, and since November 2018 has been fully operational.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on May 18, 2026.
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