Posted on 06/09/2004 10:09:48 AM PDT by areafiftyone
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel has developed its first surface-to-surface cruise missile with a range of at least 180 miles, according to a report to be published in Jane's Defence Weekly and obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.
Jane's will publish the report June 16.
Called the Delilah-GL (ground launch), the missile could reach the territory of all of Israel's neighbors. Iran, however, would be out of range. The weapon fulfills Israel's 10-year quest for a such a missile, experts told the London-based publication.
The Delilah-GL (ground launch) is an adaptation of the Delilah, its air-launched predecessor, Jane's said, quoting officials at Israel Military Industries, where the missile is made.
The missile powered by a turbojet engine has a range of 155 miles, IMI said, but defense officials told Jane's that the missile could reach "well beyond 300 kilometers (180 miles)."
The advanced missile includes a high explosive 66-pound warhead and is guided by a global positioning system. The missile can also hover over an area before confirming its target through real-time visual intelligence transmitted back to the operator, Jane's reported.
The missile can be fitted with various payloads. One is an infrared device with electro-optical seekers for target acquisition and guidance. It can identify a target from a range of nine miles, Jane's said.
Israel developed the new technology after a decade of trying to obtain surface-to-surface cruise missiles. The United States has twice denied Israeli requests to purchase the Tomahawk land-attack cruise missile, Jane's reported.
In the 1980s, Israel deployed its own long-range surface-to-surface missile, called Jericho II. Foreign reports say it has a range of at least 900 miles, can carry a payload of 2,200 pounds and is suitable for nuclear weapons.
This development could make it even more dangerous to be a member of Hezbollah.
Great - more WMDs to deal with in the middle East.
I hope they can arm it w/ a NUTRON warhead!
Test fire it on that pig Arafat's compound!
ROGER THAT!
sounds good to me! Testing is very important ya know!
Test fire this missle on that pig Arafat's compound, while his entire entourage is within.
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