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Israeli-U.S. Laser Downs Long-Range Missile in Test
Reuters ^ | May 7, 2004 | Reuters

Posted on 05/07/2004 1:03:10 PM PDT by ChicagoHebrew

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A laser beam under joint Israeli-U.S. development destroyed a long-range rocket for the first time in a test in the skies over the American Southwest, Israel's Defense Ministry said on Friday.

Israel has sought an effective defense against ballistic missiles since 1991 when Iraq launched Scuds into the Jewish state during the first Gulf War. It has since developed the Arrow anti-ballistic missile with U.S. funding.

"This is a significant step forward," a ministry spokesman said of the test on May 4 of the "Nautilus" Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser (MTHEL) held at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

Israel sees the Nautilus as another potential countermeasure to possible ballistic attack by enemies, which would include most Arab states and Iran. In turn, they see Israel's undeclared nuclear arsenal as the biggest strategic threat to the region.

The Nautilus laser is being developed mainly by U.S. aerospace giant Northrop Grumman Corp with the help of several Israeli high-tech firms specializing in optics and military hardware.

"The (Nautilus) project has the potential to fill an important operational need for Israel," said Shmuel Keren, the Israeli military's director of weapons systems and infrastructure development.

"The (Nautilus) system can answer our need for a system which can intercept missiles and cruise missiles for which currently there is no effective solution."

The Defense Ministry declined to elaborate on the test or the exact range of the intercepted missile.

In earlier tests the MTHEL laser had successfully eliminated 28 short-range Katyusha rockets and five artillery shells in flight as well as several "hostile objects" on the ground.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Israel; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: allyisrael; israel; jointexercises; missiledefense; missledefense

1 posted on 05/07/2004 1:03:11 PM PDT by ChicagoHebrew
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To: ChicagoHebrew
it'll never work.... er... again.
2 posted on 05/07/2004 1:08:08 PM PDT by Frapster (Goofball extraordinaire.)
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To: ChicagoHebrew
This is just awful. .....it'll serve only to antagnonize already hostile regimes. </ sarcasm>
3 posted on 05/07/2004 1:11:57 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: Mr. Mojo
That's antagonize.
4 posted on 05/07/2004 1:12:37 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: Mr. Mojo
That's antagonize.

Actually I think what you wrote the first time sounded more nearly correct. :)

5 posted on 05/07/2004 1:22:16 PM PDT by El Gato (Federal Judges can twist the Constitution into anything.. Or so they think.)
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To: ChicagoHebrew
Ronald Reagan was just a few decades ahead of his time, I guess.
6 posted on 05/07/2004 2:52:33 PM PDT by monkeyshine
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To: ChicagoHebrew
EXCELLENT!!!
7 posted on 05/07/2004 2:58:51 PM PDT by facedown (Armed in the Heartland)
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To: ChicagoHebrew
In earlier tests the MTHEL laser had successfully eliminated 28 short-range Katyusha rockets and five artillery shells in flight as well as several "hostile objects" on the ground.

That's what I figured. Anything that can melt a rocket in flight has got to be hell on Toyota trucks. And from miles away, too.


8 posted on 05/07/2004 3:01:17 PM PDT by Nick Danger (If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would ever get done.)
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To: monkeyshine
Ronald Reagan was just a few decades ahead of his time, I guess.

RR was right on time. He got the ball rolling, again, after the misbegotten ABM treaty stopped it. Remember Nike-Zeus, Nike-Hercules, and Nike-X? Stopping ABM development in the '70s was inexcusable. Then, after RR got it started again the Sink Emperor delayed a lot of it by grossly underfunding. But for the never-to-be-sufficiently-damned ABM Treaty and X42's malfeasance-in-office, we'd be on third or fourh generation practical ABM systems by now.

9 posted on 05/07/2004 3:06:28 PM PDT by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilisation is aborting, buggering, and contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: ChicagoHebrew
I wonder what it's worth in campaign contributions.
10 posted on 05/07/2004 3:32:22 PM PDT by RedwM
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To: monkeyshine
Ronald Reagan was just a few decades ahead of his time, I guess.

....and Ted Kennedy was dead wrong, again. Hey Ted, freeze this you fat, drunken, lying, adulterous, murdering pig.

11 posted on 05/07/2004 8:33:00 PM PDT by Dilbert56
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To: ChicagoHebrew; maxwell; Cyber Liberty; Eala; xsmommy; Gabz; NYC GOP Chick
Cool

I did the CAD work in VR on several of the pre-design prototypes.
12 posted on 05/07/2004 8:35:05 PM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly ... But Kerry's ABBCNNBCBS press corpse lies every day.)
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To: Robert A. Cook, PE
Very kewl! :)
13 posted on 05/07/2004 8:39:03 PM PDT by NYC GOP Chick ("If I could shoot like that, I would still be in the NBA" -- Bill Clinton, circa 1995)
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To: ChicagoHebrew
Oh my God! This is the missile defense system that Dashole said would NEVER work and would set off a new arms race with Russia!

Somebody save us from Bush and those crazy Israelis!

14 posted on 05/07/2004 8:40:20 PM PDT by Jorge
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To: Tabi Katz
Check this out! :)
15 posted on 05/07/2004 8:40:22 PM PDT by NYC GOP Chick ("If I could shoot like that, I would still be in the NBA" -- Bill Clinton, circa 1995)
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To: NYC GOP Chick
Imagine, the worst threat to world peace actually defending itself! Expect mass whining to emerge from Europe shortly.
16 posted on 05/08/2004 8:23:46 AM PDT by Tabi Katz
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To: Tabi Katz
One would think they'd be a *mite* careful about antagonizing a clearly superior military power...
17 posted on 05/08/2004 1:53:34 PM PDT by NYC GOP Chick ("If I could shoot like that, I would still be in the NBA" -- Bill Clinton, circa 1995)
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