Posted on 09/14/2008 7:34:03 AM PDT by Fennie
Despite reservations in Washington regarding a possible Israeli strike on Iran, the American administration will supply Israel with sophisticated weapons for heavily fortified targets, the U.S. administration announced.
The U.S. Department of Defense announced it would sell the Israel Air Force 1,000 new smart bombs, rumored to significantly enhance the IAF's military capabilities. The deal was approved amid public and secret messages from Washington, with the Americans expressing their reservations about a possible Israeli strike against the Islamic Republic's suspected nuclear sites.
The Pentagon's announcement, which came on Friday, said the U.S. will provide Israel with 1,000 units of Guided Bomb Unit-39 (GBU-39) - a special weapon developed for penetrating fortified facilities located deep underground. The $77 million shipment, which includes launchers and appurtenances, will allow the IAF to hit many more bunkers than currently possible. Although each bomb weighs 113 kilograms, its penetration capabilities equal those of a one ton bomb, according to professional literature.
Most U.S. Air Force aircraft are able to carry a pack of four of these bombs in place of a single one-ton bomb. The bomb's small size allows a single-strike aircraft to carry more of the munitions than is possible utilizing currently available bomb units, thus increasing firepower, or, alternatively, allowing the aircraft to fly longer distances to deliver a single bomb.
(Excerpt) Read more at haaretz.com ...
Hurry up!
About time. But I think the fact that the US made the information public, rather than covertly arming the Israelis, is important. They are sending a message to Iran to get them to stop enriching and go back to the bargaining table. They’re saying: Israelis can take you out. All we have to do is give them an air corridor over Iraq. We can take you out. All we have to do is send our own planes from Turkey, Iraq or Afghanistan. We don’t want to hurt you, so play nice. Let’s negotiate.
A waste of time if you ask me. Don’t give the Israelis the Iraqi corridor. Let them just launch the plane from one of their carriers via the Persian Gulf, do it and be done with it. THEN, after they retaliate against a few oil tankers and we sink their pathetic navy again, let’s see how fast they crawl back to the negotiating table.
They are probably for Hezbollah and Syria.
Hello, it only took 83 posts to get the right answer. The Hezzies have 40,000 rockets, mostly stored underground, all aimed at Israel. I think that this is the more immediate problem - and one that should have been taken care of on a permanent basis about 2 years ago. Olmert REALLY screwed the pooch on that one, and now his successor will have to deal with them and the Syrians and Hamas before dealing with Iran. After all, if Israel hits Iran, 40,000 rockets get dumped on it inside of a week - unless Israel takes those out first (or a goodly percentage of them).
Is English your first language?
I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that the Hizzies have built hundreds of underground facilities in Lebanon.
Revealed: UK’s first official sharia courts
The Sunday Times | Sept 14, 2008 | Abul Taher
Posted on 09/14/2008 9:53:15 PM PDT by Snake65
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2082465/posts
‘Iron Lady’ Tzipi Livni set to be Israel’s new leader
timesonline. UK | September 14, 2008 | Uzi Mahnaimi, Tel Aviv
Posted on 09/13/2008 8:15:24 PM PDT by Perdogg
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081958/posts
Obama to House Dems: If Sanctions Fail, Israel Will Likely Strike Iran
abcnews.com | July 30, 2008 9:30 AM | Jake Tapper
Posted on 07/30/2008 7:21:27 AM PDT by antivenom
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2053662/posts
Biden tells Israel, accept Iran’s bomb
Ha’aretz | Sept. 1, 2008 | Ha’aretz Service
Posted on 09/01/2008 4:32:56 AM PDT by idov
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2072283/posts
Israel asks U.S. for arms, air corridor to attack Iran
Haaretz | 9/11/2008 | Amos Harel and Aluf Benn
Posted on 09/11/2008 8:48:49 AM PDT by mojito
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2080008/posts
US ‘refuses to give Israel bombs’ fearing Iran strike
AFP | 09/11/08 | Staff
Posted on 09/11/2008 8:50:19 AM PDT by forkinsocket
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2080009/posts
Can Iran Successfully Deter A Military Attack?
Payvand | September 11, 2008 | By Renad Ihab
Posted on 09/11/2008 9:24:09 PM PDT by Fennie
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2080540/posts
Website: Croatia Has Sold S300 To Iran
The Jerusalem Post | September 10, 2008 | By Yaakov Katz
Posted on 09/14/2008 3:29:12 AM PDT by Strategy
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082058/posts
Israel could ‘capture’ Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
telegraph UK | Last Updated: 9 Sep 2008 | Tim Butcher, Middle East Correspondent
Posted on 09/09/2008 9:44:07 AM PDT by Perdogg
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2078194/posts
Hope they drop it on Ahmadamnutjob’s bedroom!
Prepping for a holiday in Iran?
Strange article. The USA already sold other versions of ‘bunker busters’ to Israel in the past — specifically the 100 GBU-28 in 2006. This is what happens when you have reporters ignorant of the military TO&E and historical foreign weapons sales.
The Achilles heel of these deep underground installations is that they always require ground level access points. Blow them to smithereens and it really doesn’t matter if the actual deep underground installation survives or not. It is realistic to expect that we—and the Israelis—know where at least some of these access points are. I suspect that they are hidden in hospitals, schools, apartment complexes and mosques. One approach to the task, according to this simple retired soldier, is for Israel to bomb the access points we know of. Then, progressively, destroy others as they are found. These bombs can be dropped from such an altitude as to allow the Israelis to give fair warning when they bomb an access point hidden in civilian facilities. The aircraft will be high enough to minimize Iranian gound to air threats. In any case, I’m sure the Israelis will prep the battlefield—i.e. locate and destroy as much Irani capability before the bombers do their job. The bombers will then be accompanied by fighters that will run interference for them and destroy whatever additional irani capability. At the same the Israelis will be employing their formidible electronic warefare capability against the Iranis. Those idiots—even forewarned—will be helpless in the face of the Israeli onslaught. The Syrians have the same Russian stuff as the Irani’s. The Israelis creamed their nuclear facilities. They got into Syria, destroyed the target and got out without losing a single aircraft. One hopes there will be a special delivery package addressed to the the good Achjamenahod (Irani president, premier or whatever—I don’t know correct spelling of his name) on the target list.
That would be easy -- in comparison to me...
I'm so far to the Right, that Attila the Hun himself, would have to race his war pony for 3 days to his right to approach my left flank.....and he would still run the risk of drawing fire as a Leftist Liberal..
I so damned far right - I've come full circle around to the rear of the Leftists and constantly find myself shooting at their asses.
Perhaps they might find a KC-10 tanker over Iraq that "JUST HAPPENED" to have a little extra Jet-A they needed to get rid off.
I Still feel that 1 or 2 GBU-28s added to the mix would send an even more powerful message
Great news. Parity with the enemy may be the best way to keep the peace.
I Still feel that 1 or 2 GBU-28s added to the mix would send an even more powerful message
While we are at it, lets draw up a lease agreement on a couple squadrons of F-22’s and B-2 sprints.
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