Re: Latest on ISraeli-US antiballistic missle defense work. Shahab? Bring 'em on :)

Not that we need money elsewhere. You must get the priorities right.


"jgarbuz" <jgarbuz@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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News Archive: Israel

Boeing and IAI to Continue Work on Israeli Systems
February 23, 2006 :: News

Boeing and Israel Aircraft Industries have joined forces to develop
a short-range ballistic missile defense system for Israel. Boeing and
IAI previously worked together on the successful Arrow-2 interceptor
project. Now, they will create an all-weather defense against
short-range ballistic missiles and long-range artillery rockets. The
Israel Missile Defense Organization will select an Israeli-U.S.
industry team in March 2006 to complete the risk reduction phase of the
project. Full-scale development and production will follow as a
cooperative initiative between the IMDO and MDA.

Missile defense is a high priority for Israel, which has
had to withstand not only the Iraqi Scud launches of the Persian Gulf
War, but numerous rocket attacks by Palestinian terrorists. (Article,
Link)

Report: Israel Plans to Test New Missile
February 9, 2006 :: Middle East Newsline :: News

Middle East Newsline reports that Israel plans to launch a new type
of two-stage, solid-fuel missile. The rocket is known as Magah, and is
believed to be powered by a solid-fuel ramjet engine. According to the
Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology, such an engine has never
been tested in Israel or deployed anywhere the world. Alon Gany, head
of the Magah project and a professor of aeronautical engineering at the
Technion, stated that Magah "mark a technological breakthrough" and
could help meet an emerging military requirement for advanced
long-range missiles. (Link)

Iran Paper Says Shahab Missiles Will Prevent Israeli Strike
January 27, 2006 :: BBC Worldwide Monitoring :: Analysis

Iran's Shahab-3 missiles will deter an Israeli strike, writes
Iranian columnist Shahab Kashefi in an article titled "The Danger of
Iran for Israel," published by the Iranian newspaper Mardom-Salari.
In Kashefi's estimation, Iran's Shahab-3 missiles "can easily
reach the occupied territories," and therefore "Israel will never
carry out any military operations against Iran." He argues that the
Israelis remember Saddam Hussein's Scud attacks (during the first
Gulf War), and are "all too aware of the Iranian Shahab-3 missiles
close to them." Kashefi concludes that Israel will attempt to incite
the international community to adopt strong measures against the
Islamic Republic, but not attack Iran directly.

Kashefi is correct to conclude that Israelis feel
threatened by Iran's ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons program,
especially considering the statements of Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad denying the Holocaust and calling for the destruction of
the Jewish state. Kashefi's belief that Israel will never attack Iran
may fail to underestimate Israel, as illustrated by the preemptive
strike against Iraq in 1981. Iraq had been operating a light water
nuclear reactor at Osirak, southeast of Baghdad, in an attempt to
produce plutonium for nuclear weapons. In a quick offensive, Israeli
aircraft heavily damaged the Osirak reactor, setting back Saddam
Hussein's nuclear ambitions by 10 years. (Article, Link)
» Missile details for: Shahab-3

Timmerman on Iran
January 9, 2006 :: Analysis

Conflict between Israel and Iran may well be brewing, suggests
Kenneth R. Timmerman in FrontPage Magazine. Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon's stroke has thrown Israeli politics into turmoil, and
might be the starting point of a coming showdown between the Jewish
state and the Islamic republic. Timmerman notes that Sharon had made a
strategic decision-against the advice of his own generals and
intelligence staff-to support U.S. backed nuclear negotiations with
Iran led by the EU. With Sharon incapacitated, Israel might pursue
other options in the face of escalating Iranian rhetoric and actions.

On January 3, Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps began a
two-day seminar in Tehran on nuclear-biological-chemical warfare and
new defense technologies, including lectures by Iranian experts on
electromagnetic pulse weapons, graphite bombs, and laser-guided bombs.
On January 4, three battalions of the IRGC began three days of military
exercises in the Semnan province, not far from Iran's main ballistic
missile test range. That same day, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali
Larijani, told Iranian TV that Israel will "suffer a great loss" if
it attacks Iran, noting that Israel has "no strategic depth" and is
"within our range." In addition, the Russians have agreed to sell
S-300 anti-ballistic missile systems to Iran.

In early December, Lieutenant General Dan Halutz,
Israel's military chief of staff, told foreign journalists in Tel
Aviv that he believed diplomacy had reached a dead end. When asked by
one reporter how far Israel was ready to go to stop Iran's nuclear
projects, Halutz replied, "2,000 kilometers," the distance by air
between Israel and Iran's main nuclear and missile sites. (Article,
Link)

Israeli Arrow Interceptor Successfully Destroys Target
December 3, 2005 :: News

On Friday December 2, Israel conducted another intercept test of
its Arrow ballistic missile defense system. A Black Sparrow target
missile said to simulate an Iranian Shahab-3 missile was launched from
an aircraft overflying the Mediterranean. Radar located the target and
transmitted its trajectory data to the command and control center,
which calculated plans for defending against it. These were transmitted
to the launcher, which launched the test interceptor from a military
base said to be south of Tel Aviv. The interceptor, by some accounts
the newer, "Arrow-2" interceptor produced and recently delivered by
Boeing, successfully destroyed the target. A brochure provided by
Rafael, producer of the Black Sparrow target, claims that it is capable
of reproducing various reentry patterns: simple ballistic, barrel roll,
and other sorts of maneuvers (inset picture).

The exercise marked the fourteenth test of the Arrow
interceptor, and the ninth trial run for the current weapons system.
Defense officials said the object of the test was to examine the
system's enhanced capabilities, including an expanded interception
range, and to test the interface between the Arrow system and the
Patriot missile system, which is supposed to become activated in the
event that the Arrow does not destroy the target.

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz called the test "a
tremendous achievement" that "once again underscores the principle
that the State of Israel relies first and foremost on itself when it
comes to safeguarding the citizens of Israel." Aryeh Herzog, head of
the Arrow project in the Defense Ministry, told Israel Channel Two TV,
"The launch was successful. The significance is that the Arrow arms
project proved another part of its range of operations against the
Iranian threat."

Jane's Defense Weekly reports that the test pushed the
altitude boundaries of the Arrow beyond those of previous tests:

The interception was conducted at a record low altitude,
considered below the AWS's performance envelope, and determined the
operability of the Arrow II Block 3 interceptor, manufactured jointly
by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and Boeing Integrated Defense
Systems.

"We have never before tried the Arrow against the Shahab
characteristics, but we know now that we are capable of intercepting
all existing ballistic missile threats in the region, whether
conventional or non-conventional, and we are developing capabilities to
deal with future threats," Director of the Israel Missile Defence
Organisation Arieh Herzog told JDW.

...Following the interception, IAF's MIM-104 Patriot low- to
high-altitude air-defence batteries joined the test, simulating an
additional interception at lower altitude. Israel's ballistic missile
defence concept is based on a two-tier layered defence in which the AWS
constitutes the higher layer and the Patriot an additional, lower
layer.

On August 26, 2004, the Arrow-2 failed to intercept a
Shahab-3-type target (Black Sparrow) in a test. A few days earlier on
July 29, 2004, the Arrow had successfully intercepted a Scud-type
target. Both tests were conducted in California.

A senior Israeli defense source was quoted as saying that
Arrow system was preparing to provide a response to several missiles
launched simultaneously at Israel, naming Iran and Syria as the primary
threats being considered.

Yair Ramati of the IAI's MALAM defense plant was
interviewed about the test on Voice of Israel radio in Jerusalem.
Ramati said of the upgrades to the Arrow-2 upgrades,

The improvements do not lie in the hardware, but rather in new
software installed in the radar, in the command and control systems and
in the missile itself. It is a kind of a combination that has to be
tested. Incidentally, this was the third time the software was tested.

(Article, Link)
» Voice of Israel report of test
» Rafael brochure for Black Sparrow target missile
» Jane's Defense Weekly on Arrow test
» Interview on Voice of Israel radio
» Missile system details for: Arrow

First Arrow-2 Interceptor Delivered
November 7, 2005 :: Jane's Information Group :: News

Boeing delivered the first "Arrow 2" interceptor to the Israel
Air Force on October 31, reports Jane's Defense Weekly. The companies
involved would not disclose the exact number of Arrow missiles
scheduled for manufacture, but an Israel defense source is quoted as
saying that there are weekly deliveries of "several missile
components" from Boeing, and that Israel has two operational Arrow
batteries, which each reportedly need 100 missiles. (Article, Link)
» Missile system details for: Arrow

Israel to Receive First U.S.-Produced Arrow Interceptors
June 15, 2005 :: Bloomberg :: News

The Israeli Air Force will receive the first Arrow missile
interceptors made with U.S. parts this month, reports Bloomberg. Since
2000, Israel Aircraft Industries has worked with Boeing to co-produce
missile canisters, motor housings, electronics, and radar caps. Arieh
Herzog, director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization, stated
that the collaboration will allow Israel to double its original rate of
production. The U.S. has helped fund the Arrow program since the late
1980s in order to protect Israel from missile attack. (Link)
» Missile system details for: Arrow

Hezbollah: All of Northern Israel in Rocket Range
May 25, 2005 :: Ha'aretz :: News

Ha'aretz reports that the militant Islamic terrorist organization
Hezbollah has 12,000 Katyusha rockets deployed in Lebanon capable of
striking all of northern Israel. On May 24, Hezbollah leader Sheikh
Hassan Nasrallah stated unequivocally: "Any hand that reaches out to
our weapons is an Israeli hand that will be cut off."

For reasons like these, the U.S. and Israel have been
collaborating on such defensive systems as the Tactical High Energy
Laser (THEL), designed to track and destroy incoming rockets with a
high-energy laser beam. Some recent reports have suggested, however,
that the U.S. may be withdrawing funding from THEL. (Article, Link)
» May 16, 2005: The Jerusalem Post on Arrow and THEL suspension
» Missile system details for: Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL)

Glick: U.S. Could Suspend Arrow and THEL Collaboration with Israel
May 18, 2005 :: News

Caroline Glick writes in The Jerusalem Post that the U.S. has
reportedly suspended its cooperation with Israel on the Arrow and
Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) missile defense projects. Ms. Glick
references an official source quoted by Middle East Newsline as saying
of the pullback from military cooperation, "It's all about
China."

Israel is the largest exporter of high-tech weapons to
China. The Pentagon fears that China could, among other things, use its
Israeli weapons against U.S. forces in a future Taiwan conflict. Glick
notes that Israel should stop arming the Chinese or risk damaging its
strategic relationship with the U.S. She also notes that by arming
China, Israel is actually helping its regional enemies. China of course
also exports weapons to Iran and Pakistan. (Article, Link)
» Missile system details for: Arrow and Tactical High Energy Laser
(THEL)

Syria Wants Russian S-400
February 9, 2005 :: News

Syria is negotiating the purchase of the Russian S-400 air and
missile defense system, said to be comparable or superior to U.S.
Patriot PAC-3 interceptors. Middle East Newsline quotes "Russian
industry sources" as saying that Syrian President Bashar Assad sought
to acquire the system during his recent visit to Moscow. "Assad is
very interested in the S-400 and apparently Syria has the money to buy
this," an industry source is quoted as saying.

Recent news reports have confirmed that Russia will be
deploying the S-400 for its own defenses in 2005. (Article, Link)
» Missile system details for: S-400 (SA-20 Triumf)

Israeli Official Calls for Space-Based Defenses
January 12, 2005 :: Defense News :: News

Yuval Steinitz, chairman of the Israel's Defense and Foreign
Affairs Committee, recently called for his nation to expand its sea and
space-based defenses against a number of forms of attack, reports
Defense News. At a December 22 symposium, he urged in particular
anti-satellite missiles, satellite-attacking lasers, and ship-based
missiles. Israel's "lack of ground territory-and our obligation
to defend the homeland from attack-drives the need to develop a
strategic envelope of air, sea and space forces not only for defense,
but for attack."

Steinitz's proposals will not be well received by those
arms controllers theologically opposed to the weaponization of space,
but are in fact quite well founded. The importance of space in warfare
has already been seen in the use of GPS and other satellite assets. In
a war with another space-capable power, such as China, anti-satellite
weapons would, it is plausible, be widely used on both sides. The
defense of our assets in space is a simple necessity, and the basing of
missile defense interceptors in space is simply essential to any
effective strategic missile defense. (Article, Link)

Israel Deploying Patriot Interceptors in Haifa
December 6, 2004 :: Ha'aretz :: News

Israel yesterday deployed a Patriot air and missile defense battery
was near Haifa Bay, weeks after Hezbollah had penetrated that airspace
in northern Israel with an Iranian-built unmanned drone. (Article,
Link)
» Nov. 12: Debka: Patriot apparently removed before overflight,
yet could have destroyed Iranian drone
» Missile system details for: Patriot Advanced Capability-2
(PAC-2)

India and Israel to Cooperate on Long Range Missiles
August 31, 2004 :: Spacewar.com :: News

India and Israel could cooperate to jointly produce a long range
ballistic missile, according to an India's chief military scientist
Dr. V.K. Atre. "Wherever they have strengths, we want to jointly
develop the missiles so that both countries can benefit and share
designs, costs and risks," Atre said at a news conference in
Hyderabad. Discussions for the joint project are said to have begun in
2003.

India has already begun to acquire two Phalcon systems,
which are used for early warning and detection of ballistic missile
launches, such as those by Pakistan and China.

Another news report two days ago also quoted Atre as saying
that India may begin work on missile defense systems, in which Israel
also has much experience. (Article, Link)
» Israeli Missile Systems
» Israeli Missile Defense Systems
» Mar. 18: India buys Phalcon, Considers Israeli Arrow, U.S.
Patriot, Russian S-300

Israeli Arrow Test Fails
August 26, 2004 :: BBC :: News

Although a test of the Arrow-2 interceptor on July 29 resulted in
the successful destruction of an actual Scud-B missile, another attempt
today showed the Arrow unable to destroy a target made to simulate the
more sophisticated Iranian Shahab-3.

Chris Taylor, spokesman for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency
which is jointly developing the Arrow with Israel, commented that
"The engineers don't yet know what happened."

The test, the 13th Arrow intercept test and the eighth test
of the complete weapon system, was against an air-launched target,
dropped from a C-17 aircraft, made to simulate a missile similar to a
threat Israel could face.

The target was dropped 360 miles west-northwest of San
Nicolas Island, after which its booster ignited. The arrow Green Pine
radar picked up the target, and the Arrow interceptor was launched from
San Nicolas.

According to Israeli news sources, the test involved a
missile with dual warheads, one actual and one "dummy," and
although the Arrow accurately discerned the actual warhead it failed to
intercept it. (More »»»)
» MDA press release
» Missile system details for: Arrow

Arrow Interceptor Test Successful: Scud Destroyed
July 29, 2004 :: Ha'aretz :: News

The Arrow missile defense system, jointly developed by Israel and
the United States, successfully intercepted an incoming Scud missile.
Both missiles were fired from locations near Los Angeles, and the
interception took place over the Pacific Ocean.

The test, described as both "realistic" and
"crucial," has been planned for two years. It marks the seventh
test of the full Arrow system and the twelfth test of the Arrow
interceptor. The Scud was launched from a U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center
at Point Magu near Los Angeles. The Arrow system's radar, called
Green Pine, directed the interceptor to its target. Although an earlier
report from the Indian Express said that the U.S. Defense Department
refused to say where the Scud came from, Haaretz today claimed that the
Scud was confiscated from Iraq. In the previous test, in December 2003,
the Arrow intercepted a Black Sparrow missile, also produced by Israel.

The Arrow has been operational in Israel since 2000, and
two batteries of the missiles are currently deployed, at Ein Shemer and
Palmahim. A number of other countries, such as India, are considering
purchasing one or more of various competing missile defense systems,
including the Arrow, the American Patriot PAC-3, and the Russian S-300
and S-400.

Originally designed to protect against Iraqi Scuds and Al
Hussein missiles, the future of the Arrow for Israel will likely be to
defend against potential attacks by Iran's Shahab-3. Iran on Monday
threatened to wipe Israel "off the map" if either Israel or the
United States attempted to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities.
(Article, Link)
» MDA release on Arrow test
» Missile system details for: Arrow

THEL Test Successful
May 6, 2004 :: Northrop Grumman :: News

The Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) successfully destroyed a
rocket by means of a laser on May 4, reports its producer, Northrop
Grumman in a press release today. The test is described as "history
making," because the rocket destroyed was "larger, faster and that
flies higher than previous threats destroyed by the laser weapon
demonstrator." A previous test this past week succeeded in its
primary goal of tracking the rocket but did not attempt to destroy it.
The target rockets in both tests were 6 1/2 inches in diameter and 11
feet long.

The interception comes as part of a series of tests begun
on April 29. These specific tests were of a mobile form of the laser,
called MTHEL, which will be the first version deployable of the weapons
system. THEL is a collaborative effort between Israel and the United
States, often tested at White Sands, New Mexico.

In programs such as THEL, the speed of lasers permits rapid
interception of both short range rockets with a short flight time, as
in the case of Israel, but also the ability to destroy larger, even
intercontinental ballistic missiles during their brief ascent, or boost
phase. Whereas another land-based boostphase program, the Kinetic
Energy Interceptor, must devise methods for the interceptor to achieve
extremely high velocities in order to "catch up" with an enemy
missile during a brief ascent window, lasers based on land or in space
would permit much more comfortable reaction times. (Article, Link)
» April 30, 2004: Previous MTHEL test
» April 21, 2003: THEL selected by Army
» Missile system details for: Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL)

New Arrow II Missile Interceptors
May 4, 2004 :: Defense News :: News

A joint project between Boeing and Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI)
has begun to begin producing new missile interceptors for Israel's
Arrow II ballistic missile defense program. New deliveries are due in
Israel by the end of 2004, where they will be assembled.

Arieh Herzog, director of the Israel Missile Defense
Organization, responded to criticisms about the threat posed to Israel,
by noting that the threat from missiles will never quite return to
nothing:

Obviously, events of the past year have brought us good news in
terms of a diminished number of countries that can threaten Israel with
ballistic missiles. But we have to remember that nothing moves
backward. As long as the Americans are in Iraq, the threat is checked.
But if the Americans leave, we don't know what kind of regime will be
there. Without American supervision, the Iraqi ballistic missile
program and its capabilities could be quickly reconstituted.

(Article, Link)
» Missile system details for: Arrow

THEL Tested at White Sands
April 30, 2004 :: Spacewar.com :: News

A test of the joint U.S.-Israeli anti-missile laser Nautilus was
successfully conducted on April 30 at the White Sands U.S. Army base in
New Mexico, reports the Jeruslaem Post. The Nautilus test was part of
the umbrella THEL (Tactical High Energy Laser) project.

The primary objective of locating the missile and tracking
it was accomplished, though the secondary objective, to destroy it, was
not attempted, according to an Army press release.

The mobile version of the THEL has already been effective
against short range Soviet-origin Katyusha rockets which are often
fired at Israel from across the Lebanese border by Hezbollah groups.
The THEL is expected to be battlefield ready by 2007. (Article, Link)
» Missile system details for: Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL)

Israel Doubling Range of Arrow-2
April 9, 2004 :: Middle East Newsline :: News

Israel has nearly doubled the intercept range of the Arrow-2
missile defense interceptor, reports the Middle East Newsline. The
current altitude range is said to be over 200,000 feet, or 60
kilometers, as confirmed by a December 16, 2003 test against a Scud-D
medium-range missile. The upgrades will be integrated into Israel's
two deployed Arrow-2 batteries. (Link)
» Being contract for Arrow 2 interceptors
» Missile system details for: Arrow

Israeli-Developed Phalcon Claimed Able to "Neutralize"
Pakistani Missile
March 18, 2004 :: News

Israel's Phalcon system, previously sold to India, is capable of
"neutralizing" Pakistan's Shaheen II ballisic missile, according
to a news report, which came just after Pakistan's test of the
Shaheen II on March 16.

It is unclear in what sense the early warning/spy plane can
neutralize the Pakistani missile, unless it is meant that it would be
used in concjunction with a missile defense system.

India is also considering purchasing the U.S. Patriot, the
Russian S-300, and the Israeli Arrow missile defense systems. (Article,
Link)
» FAS description of Phalcon system
» Mar. 4, 2004: Israel-India Phalcon deal
» Mar. 1: Pakistan complains of Phalcon

Israel to Build Airship to Track Missiles
March 4, 2004 :: Washington Times :: News

Precise monitoring and tracking of incoming ballistic missiles is
an important element to defend against them. In recent months, the US
has begun research on a High Altitude Airship, a necxt-generation
blimp, to do just this. Now Israel has followed suit, and begun to
develop its own such device. Theirs would be 200 yards long and 60
yards wide, would remain at 70,000 feet above the surface for years,
and would be capable of tracking missiles up to 600 miles away.
(Article, Link)
» Missile system details for: High Altitude Airship (Blimp)

Israel Developing New Ground-Based Interceptor
February 20, 2004 :: Geostrategy-Direct :: News

Israel is developing an additional land-based missile defense
system to supplement the Arrow-2 interceptors, a land-version of the
Barak naval point defense missile system, which would also destroy
missiles in their last, or terminal stage. The new system is said to be
designed to intercept medium and long range missiles. (Article, Link)

From the MissileThreat.com Web site, at http://www.missilethreat.com.
Copyright © 2006 MissileThreat.com


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