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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Israel deploys 'Iron Dome' rocket shield |
| 2011-03-28 |
| [Al Jazeera] Israel has deployed a cutting-edge rocket defence system to try to halt a recent surge in attacks from the neighbouring Gazoo Strip. The Iron Dome system just north of Beersheba, a southern city twice hit by rockets during this month's flare-up of cross-border violence, will provide increased security to Israelis. However, The all-purpose However... officials warned that the homegrown system will not do the job alone. Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, told his cabinet in Jerusalem: "I do not want to create an illusion that the Iron Dome system, which we are deploying for the first time today, will provide a full or comprehensive response." "The real response to the missile threat is in the combination of offensive and deterrent measures with defensive measures, and with a firm stance by the government and public." Netanyahu spoke shortly after Israel killed two members of Islamic Jihad, a Paleostinian group behind much of the recent rocket fire, in a Gazoo air strike. Hard to track Primitive rockets - often fired by groups including Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,, which controls Gazoo - have evaded Israel's high-tech weaponry, in part because their short flight path, just a few seconds, makes them hard to track. The government approved Iron Dome in 2007 and developers have compared the effort to a high-tech start-up, working around the clock in small teams to perfect its weapons, radar and software systems. The developer, local defence contractor Rafael, declared the system ready for use last year. Iron Dome uses sophisticated cameras and radar to track incoming rockets, determine where they will land, and intercept and destroy them far from their targets. If the system determines the rocket is headed to an open area where casualties are unlikely, it can allow the weapon to explode on the ground. Brigadier-Geneneral Doron Gavish, commander of Israel's air defence corps, said Iron Dome had passed a series of tests and reached its "evaluation phase" in the field. It is expected to be fully operational in a matter of months. He added that it was only supposed to be deployed later in the year, but it was put into operation earlier because of the recent rocket attacks from Gazoo. "Obviously, after what we saw in the last few weeks, we accelerated the phases," he said, standing before the brown, box-like battery on the outskirts of Beersheba, southern Israel's largest city with a population of nearly 200,000. A second anti-missile battery will be deployed in another large southern city, Ashdod, the military said, without specifying a date. Officials refused to say how many batteries would be deployed altogether, what their range was, or how much the system would cost. Analysts have estimated the cost of shooting down a rocket could be tens of thousands of dollars, compared to just a few hundred dollars to produce the rocket. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #6 WAFF [long] > CALLS ON FACEBOOK FOR MILYUHNS OF PALESTINIANS TO RETURN TO THEIR [old = former] HOMES IN ISRAEL ON MAY 15th [2011 = this year]. Lots of activities planned for Paleos. HMMMM, HMMMMM, MEXICAN CARTEL VIOLENCE TURNS PALEO INTIFADA IN THE MIDEAST? Iff so, methinks the "IRON DOME" BMD Missles are pointing in the wrong vector. * DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > INDIA'S MUSLIMS MAY FIND INSPIRATION IN EGYPT. Despite routinely high electoral turnouts, India's Muslims are effec failing to progress socio-economically vee secular, democratic statehood. India's Hindu majority tends to view Muslims as solely desiring a mostly anti-democratic Theocratic State. IIUC as per the view of INDIAN HINDUS > IT IS ISLAM ITSELF AS A SOCIO-ECON MODEL WHICH IS INHIBITING INDIA'S MUSLIMS??? * SAME > ALL-INDIA MUSLIM LEAGUE DEMANDS FOR SEPARATE [national] EELCTORATES. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-03-28 23:31 |
| #5 IRON DOME has a range of about 40 miles It's a short range beam rider missile. Its range is a few km at best. The 40 mile range refers to incoming rockets and arty. And it looks to be completely funded by US taxpayers. Obama seeks $205 million for Israel rocket shield The $200m system has been deployed to protect Israel's civilian population from rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza militants. |
| Posted by: Zebulon Thranter9685 2011-03-28 21:58 |
| #4 why they didn't get the relatively cheap, each $15m including radar C-RAM system. From a quick browse at Wikipedia (yeah, yeah...), the answer appears to be range. C-RAM sounds like a land based version of the naval CIWS which is a point defense system. IRON DOME has a range of about 40 miles making it more of an area defense. And as tw notes, the end game the Israelis are planning for is the coming war with Hisbollah. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2011-03-28 21:33 |
| #3 This is all well and good, but they've never explained why they didn't get the relatively cheap, each $15m including radar C-RAM system. They could buy a dozen of those, set them up overnight, and have an effective system of 20mm defense against most low level threats from mortars to rockets. They would be great to have even as a complement to Iron Dome. The manufacturer even created air burst 20mm rounds, because the Israelis were so wracked with guilt at the idea that their defensive weapons might hurt Palestinians while the Palestinians are trying to kill Israelis. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-03-28 20:59 |
| #2 As soon as it's proved out, they'll want to set up similar Domes aimed at Hizb'allah and Syria. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2011-03-28 12:45 |
| #1 ION FREEREPUBLIC > GUNMEN TARGET EGYPT [TO ISRAEL] GAS PIPELINE. * TOPIX/WORLD NEWS > JORDAN GOVT BLAMES MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD [+ Iran] FOR PROTESTS. Once again, US-NATO/EU, + TEL AVIV?, to Uncle Muammar > "D *** NG IT, MUMMAR, WE LUV YA, MAN"! |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-03-28 02:44 |