NYT Profiles THEL System
July 30, 2006 :: New York Times :: News
The New York Times recently profiled the Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL), a joint U.S.-Israeli development program that was canceled in September 2005. The project was conceived in the mid-1990s when Hezbollah guerrillas began firing Katyusha rockets at northern Israel. The contract was approved by the U.S. and Israel in April 1996, and work began at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The prototype THEL was roughly the size of six city buses, and included a chemical laser, fuel tanks, a rotating mirror, radar, and a command center. In 2000, the laser successfully destroyed an armed Katyusha in a test at White Sands, and soon thereafter shot down two dozen more. Despite these successes, the system was judged “too costly, feeble, and unwieldy for battlefield use,” according to the Times. The article quotes Yiftah S. Shapir, a military analyst at the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, who said that one Hezbollah guerrilla with a rocket launcher could fire 40 Katyushas in less than a minute, meaning that Israel would have had to deploy “a few dozen of these systems” at the Lebanese border. Firing THEL just once would have cost roughly $3,000, and if properly deployed the system would have likely run into the billions of dollars. David Siegel, a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, concurred with Shapir’s analysis. “The program was terminated because of its prohibitive costs,” he said.
All the same, Israel now has no defense against Katyusha rockets, and is paying the price in many ways. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Israel, Terrorism
» Missile system details for: Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL), White Sands Missile Range
LA Times: North Korea-Iran Ties Strengthening
July 27, 2006 :: LA Times :: News
The Los Angeles Times today published a report on the growing ties between North Korea and Iran, including the possible sale of ballistic missiles to Tehran. The report quotes Israeli intelligence sources, who believe that the Islamic Republic recently bought 18 intermediate-range missiles from Pyongyang. In April 2006, Israeli intelligence chief Amos Yadlin stated that Israel had evidence that the sale had taken place, and that the 18 missiles in question were based on the Russian SS-N-6 submarine-launched ballistic missile. According to Yadlin, the North Korean variant has a range of 2,500 km, which would allow Iran to attack Israel and much of southern Europe. The Los Angeles Times also quotes Uzi Rubin, former head of the Israeli missile defense program, who recently stated that Iran is also interested in North Korea’s long-range Taep’o-dong 2 ballistic missile, which would greatly extend its striking power.
According to the Times, the North Korea-Iran nexus dates back to the 1980s when Pyongyang sold missiles and launchers to Tehran for use in the Iran-Iraq War. The two nations later collaborated on the development of Iran’s Shahab missiles, which are based on the North Korean No-dong. In recent years, satellites have spotted Iranian cargo planes at Pyongyang’s Sunan Airport, and U.S. intelligence now believes that Iran conducted a missile test on North Korea’s behalf on at least one occasion. Last week, reports emerged that Iranian observers had been on hand to witness North Korea’s July 4 test launch of seven long- and short-range missiles, including the Taep’o-dong 2. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Iran, Israel, North Korea, Proliferation
» Missile details: SS-N-17, Tien Ma 1
Israel-Lebanon Conflict Fueled by Iran
July 21, 2006 :: Analysis
The ongoing conflict in Israel and Lebanon demonstrates the widespread character of the war on terrorism, the expanding regional influence of Iran, and, more specifically, the Islamic Republic’s complete willingness to proliferate ballistic and cruise missile technology to terrorist entities it considers to be political and military allies.
Over the past week, Western intelligence officials and experts have concluded that the Iran-sponsored Lebanese terrorist organization, Hezbollah, has stockpiled enough firepower to sustain a protracted fight against the Jewish state that threatens all of northern Israel and possibly much further. Hezbollah (“The Party of God” in Arabic) is a Shiite organization that emerged during the Lebanese civil war in the early 1980s. It is the principal suspect for the 1983 suicide bombings of the U.S. embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut. Since the 1990s, Hezbollah has built up its forces in southern Lebanon with the help of Iran, and has been intermittently firing Katyusha rockets into northern Israel. The cheap, unguided, low-flying projectiles have a range of approximately 20 km and are capable of causing considerable damage when launched into dense civilian populations. Sources indicate that many of these rockets are manufactured in Iran. Over the past week, Hezbollah guerrillas have fired hundreds of Katyusha rockets into dozens of towns and cities across northern Israel, killing and wounding civilians in the heaviest bombardment in over a decade. Hezbollah is believed to have tens of thousands of Katyushas in its arsenal.
More worrisome than the unsophisticated Katyusha rockets are the larger, more powerful ballistic and cruise missiles that Hezbollah has obtained through Iran. Israeli intelligence believes that Hezbollah possesses hundreds of Iranian-made Fajr-3 and Fajr-5 short-range ballistic missiles, which have ranges of 40 and 75 km respectfully and allow the terrorist organization to strike deep inside Israel. On July 14, an Israeli air strike destroyed at least one Iranian-made Zelzal-2 short-range ballistic missile, according to the AP. According to officials from the Israeli Defense Force, an Israeli aircraft targeted a truck carrying an unknown number of Zelzal-2 missiles, and the force of the blast sent at least one missile flying into the air. The Zelzal-2 (“earthquake” in Farsi) is believed to have a range of anywhere from 120 to 400 km, and would be capable of striking Tel Aviv if launched successfully.
Hezbollah has also demonstrated that it possesses Iranian copies of Chinese cruise missiles. On July 14, Hezbollah guerrillas attacked Israel’s INS Hanit Eilat-class missile corvette with an Iranian-made Noor (Tondar) radar-guided anti-ship cruise missile, according to Jane’s Defense Weekly. The Noor is an Iranian copy of the Chinese C-802 (CSS-N-8), reported to have a range of approximately 200 km. Hezbollah guerrillas fired the missile from the Lebanese shore at the Hanit from a range of 16 km, which prevented the Israelis from activating the ship’s missile defense systems. A second Noor, also aimed at the Hanit, missed and instead hit a Cambodian merchant ship 60 km away, which sank although its crew members were rescued. Hezbollah is believed to possess dozens of Noor cruise missiles.
Finally, Iran’s well-trained Revolutionary Guard is believed to be providing on-the-ground military advisers to Hezbollah with some level of coordination with Syria, according to Anthony Cordesman, the respected Middle East expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, as well as several U.S. officials. If this report is accurate, it means that the Islamic Republic has expanded well beyond its traditional role of financier, proliferator, and spiritual ally, and could in fact be the driving political and military force behind Hezbollah’s recent and future actions. (Link)
» More stories on: Analysis, Iran, Israel, Proliferation, Terrorism
» Missile details: Zelzal-1/2/3
Israel Plans New Arrow, Mark 4
June 7, 2006 :: Defense News :: News
Israel plans to develop the Arrow Mark 4 upgrade for its Arrow anti-missile system in the wake of the growing threat from Iran, reports Defense News. According to the report, which cited Israeli defense sources, the Arrow Mark 4 will feature improved interceptor missiles, a new radar unit, and other components that will convert Arrow into an integrated nationwide ballistic missile defense system. The upgrade will be implemented by the Israel Aircraft Industries subsidiary Elta Group, the Israel Air Force, and the Israeli Ministry of Defense. The U.S. is financing two-thirds of the program, and Israel is financing the rest. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Allies, Israel
» Missile system details for: Arrow
Indian Missile Intercepted in Test Using Israeli Barak
May 7, 2006 :: News
The Indian Navy successfully tested its Israeli-made Barak anti-missile interceptors on Saturday as part of war maneuvers in the Arabian Sea. During the tests, Ganga-class missile corvettes launched surface-to-surface missiles, which were then tracked and destroyed by Barak interceptors. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Admiral Arun Prakash, Naval Chief of Staff, were on hand to witness the demonstrations. The Barak interceptors, which have been installed on seven of its frontline warships, are part of a larger push by New Delhi to create a multi-layered missile defense shield. India has continued to express some interest in purchasing either land-based PAC-3 interceptors from the U.S. or S-300 interceptors from Russia. (Article, Link)
» Description of Israeli Barak Ship-Based Anti-Missile System
» February 7, 2006: Defense Industry Daily: India and Israel to Cooperate on Barak SAM Project
» More stories on: India, Israel
Rubin Interview on Iranian Capabilities
April 28, 2006 :: News
IranWatch.org recently interviewed Uzi Rubin, former head of Israel’s Arrow missile defense program. Rubin described Iran’s latest effort to field a fleet of nuclear capable ballistic missiles, assessed the threat that Iran’s missiles present to Israel and U.S. forces, and evaluated the ability of missile defenses to block an Iranian attack. He noted that a robust combination of Israeli and U.S. defenses could be “quite effective” against the Iranian threat. For instance, Israel’s Arrow program, which was specifically designed to defend against the Shahab-3, was proven successful in multiple tests against simulated Shabab-3s. Likewise, the U.S. is deploying Standard Missile-3 interceptors on Aegis-equipped warships, which have also been proven successful in recent tests. The U.S. also operates Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptors, which were battle-tested during the 2003 Iraq War and shot down all targets engaged. However, Rubin noted that “we never have enough” interceptors, and that Israel and the U.S. remain vulnerable should Iran choose to launch a large-scale attack. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Allies, Iran, Israel
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
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)
» More stories on: Israel
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)
» More stories on: Israel
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)
» More stories on: Analysis, Iran, Israel
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)
» Interview on Voice of Israel radio
» Voice of Israel report of test
» Rafael brochure for Black Sparrow target missile
» Jane’s Defense Weekly on Arrow test
» More stories on: Israel, Testing - Foreign
» Missile system details for: Arrow
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