Posted on 11/21/2012 7:50:10 AM PST by chessplayer
Israel’s highly controversial and very expensive ‘Iron Dome’ rocket defense system is being tested by extremist militant groups to its very limits. At $65,000 per round to hard kill a $500 rocket, its one expensive piece of mind that Israel has a lot riding on. It would seem that the strategic goal is to make rocket launches a worthless and unacceptable risk with no reward to the terrorists that launch these terror weapons, as opposed to an affordable defense system intended for continuous and prolonged use.
(Excerpt) Read more at aviationintel.com ...
Nuke Gaza.
Your assessment is supported here:
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htada/articles/20121120.aspx
Family plug: Some 30+ years ago my brother worked on development of the algorithms, based in part on Bayesian Decision Theory, used in the intercept phase of these and similar weapons systems. The work itself is still classified. Once I walked into his office unexpectedly and the desk drawers literally got thrown shut and automatically locked.
Of course the “intercept phase” is the whole flight in this system.
The falsestinians set their own price for life when they demanded ten thousand prisoners released from Israeli jails for the return of ONE Israeli soldier. They set the price and Israel should stand by it. Ten thousand falsestinian lives forfeit for one Israeli death.
See how they like those odds.
Sorry, there's no such thing as an unprovoked attack upon Israel. Israel's mere existence is all the provocation any Muslim needs.
Because it would wake up sleeping children.
Time to bring in laser point defense systems.
I, and I hope Israel, do not recognize jihadists word definitions. :)
I use the words as the rest of humanity generally understand them.
Just enough to buy a rifle to kill the sniper who fired the first bullet would be the best answer. Israel should consider this rather than just stopping the incoming ordnance.
Go ahead. Launch those rockets from next to the school. Watch the school and everybody in it evaporate.
But the primary thing Israel needs to do is make Gaza unlivable. Cut off water, food, power, and money.
Excellent article.
of course it can be saturated with a large numbeer of chaeap rockets. it’s designed against SCUDs and similar large missiles and rockets (mossiles are guided, rockets are not). give me the means and i can saturate an AEGIS system and overwhelm the combined defense capabilities of a US carrier battle group. the PLAN already have plans to do that.
Now the Israelis have demonstrated an effective, but not perfect BMD system they get slammed for this?
Yes, it’s magnificent technological work, but read the article in post # 9. Seems even the IDF opposed it.
Isreal can’t just rely on Iron Dome. Interdicting the supply line is a good strategy. So is killing the people who shoot the rockets, as well as killing anyone who might do so.
“Except, here’s a true story: Back in mid-June, during the great Paris weapons show, the Rafael pavilion was absolutely the busiest around, and everybody wanted to look at the new, exciting, Iron Dome system, the greatest achievement in rocket defense ever. But by the end of the show, Rafael hadn’t made a single sale. The Arrow sold well, other systems did great – Iron Dome wasn’t moving. So they contacted their big clients, the serious ones, and asked what gives. And those clients told them no one except Israel has any use for these things. Because in any normal, sane country, if some hooligans were to start targeting civilians with rockets – the army would go and kill them.”
Everyone oohed and ahhed, but nobody wanted it. Granted Israel is between a rock and a hard place. If they send the Army in, obama would cut them off so fast their heads would spin.
The idea that a viable defense is morally wrong is absurd. By this same logic, troops wearing body armor or using tanks is morally reprehensible because it encourages the enemy to shoot at you!
The author's outrage is misdirected at a wonderful and important technology, when it ought to be directed at weak-willed leadership alone. The false dichotomy established in the article -- Iron Dome or killing the enemy -- is a dangerous and liberal analysis. The correct solution is Iron Dome and an effective response to the enemy.
Blaming technology for the decisions and behaviors of people is the real insanity.
They need to destroy iran...
Unfortunately it’s more than one bullet, and eventually your money will run out...
The author is saying it is morally wrong because it allows Hamas to continue to exist. Yes, Israel launches some airstrikes and destroys some Hamas headquarters and kills a few Hamas leaders. But once the inevitable “cease fire” agreement comes, Hamas is still basically undamaged. They rest and regroup and then it starts all over again,,,and again,,,and again.
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