Article

2008-02-19 Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Olmert: Iron Dome anti-Kassam system at advanced stage

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Posted by Fred 2008-02-19 00:00|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top
File under: Hamas

#1 Iron Dome sounds too 60s Maoist for my taste, but if it works?

Posted by phil_b 2008-02-19 02:55|| 2008-02-19 02:55|| Front Page Top

#2 Mao: Bamboo Curtain at advanced stage, will capture Kassams when they fly

Posted by Mao 2008-02-19 08:32|| 2008-02-19 08:32|| Front Page Top

#3 Launching 2x $50,000 missiles against a $100 rocket sounds like a winning strategy.

Posted by ed 2008-02-19 09:06|| 2008-02-19 09:06|| Front Page Top

#4 Personally, I think it would be more effective and cost-effective to just bounce the rubble a little deeper into Gaza every time there are rocket attacks. Level another 1/4 mile with each attack and guarantee Hamas that you'll go all the way to the Mediterranean if you have to.

Posted by Darrell 2008-02-19 09:16|| 2008-02-19 09:16|| Front Page Top

#5 IIRC, in cost benefit analysis of safety projects, a human life is typically valued at 1-2 million dollars based on the NPV of future earnings, sometimes confirmed by studies of actual choices people make in transportation, appliance purchases, etc.

Based on that, using $50k missiles is quite justified if you think the Kassams are actually likely to hit anything.

Thats not even going into the political consideratons. I mean if its not worth firing a 50,000 dollar missile to stop qassams, is it worth much more expensive ground operations?

Posted by liberalhawk 2008-02-19 11:03|| 2008-02-19 11:03|| Front Page Top

#6 I doubt the current system could stop very many of the Kassam projectiles because the Kassems are small (typically 6' long) and they don't reach very high altitudes (say 1/4 mile).

The system the Israelis are making is almost certainly designed to stop actual missiles which would be larger and longer range.

Posted by mhw">mhw 2008-02-19 11:44|| http://hypocrisy-incorporated.blogspot.com/]">[http://hypocrisy-incorporated.blogspot.com/] 2008-02-19 11:44|| Front Page Top

#7 And which Hizb'allah is known to have received from Iran, and which Hamas covets if they haven't yet received theirs.

Posted by lotp 2008-02-19 13:50|| 2008-02-19 13:50|| Front Page Top

#8 I still think the most cost-effective solution would be some five inch radar controlled automatic smoothbore cannons, shooting "Beehive" rounds.

"Shotgun" the kassams in midair (PULL, Blam, PULL, etc)

I got the idea from a WW2 story my father told me, he was an Army Engineer island-hopping
(Building runways to blast the next island, said he was always three islands behind the fighting)

They had a Japanese "Night Bomber" that came over every night as harrassment, usualy didn't hit anything, but kept them awake, and when he asked for help, they sent him a "Skysweeper" (I had to look it up) a radar controlled 5 inch naval rifle (Big gun) mounted on a semitrailer, with two other trailers, (Powerplant, and control), they set this up and that night when the Night Bomber camse over, shot him down with only three shots.

Posted by Redneck Jim 2008-02-19 14:53|| 2008-02-19 14:53|| Front Page Top

#9 LH, expending $100,000 of weapons to shoot down a $100 rocket is an invitation for Hamas to bankrupt Israel. Even if only 10% of the Kassams are worth intecepting, the economics still holds. Hamas are rubbing their hands in anticipation of increasing rocket attacks 100 fold. The solution lies in offense, not defense.

Posted by ed 2008-02-19 21:32|| 2008-02-19 21:32|| Front Page Top

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