Posted on 03/31/2005 5:20:31 AM PST by IAF ThunderPilot
Israeli-developed armor that has been installed on American armored personnel carriers (APCs) in Iraq has saved "many lives", according to a letter of recognition the US Army has sent to Rafael, the Israel Armament Development Authority.
The Bradley and 7AV APCs in the service of the US Army and the Marines, which play a central role in the armed operations in Iraq, have been fitted over the last year with armor by Rafael in partial cooperation with the American General Dynamics company, based in Burlington, Vermont.
A source in the company told ISRAEL21c that the letter stated, "When the fighting in Iraq was tough, and your product was urgently needed, you did everything you could to expedite production and delivery."
The rush deliveries were part of the US military's effort to slow the damage done by roadside mines, explosive charges and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), which have killed more than 150 U.S. troops in Iraq.
According to the Israeli paper Ma'ariv, one of the senior officials in the American defense establishment said explicitly: the Bradely is the best protected vehicle in Iraq.
Rafael received the $19.4 million order from the U.S. Army's TACOM / ARDEC Picatinny Arsenal last year, covering procurement of 56 reactive armor vehicle sets and 170 partial sets for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The contract also included funding for the qualification and first-article testing of a product upgrade to further improve crew and vehicle survivability over the current design.
"They were trying to find American-made armor not something that comes from abroad," said the Rafael source, but after much research found that Rafael's was the most reliable.
According to Rafael's web site, with the new reactive armor, the Bradley is better able to withstand a direct hit from a variety of anti-armor munitions, including shoulder-fired rocket propelled grenades, which are in abundant supply in many of today's regional conflicts.
The armor is of the most advanced in the world: it is made up of passive protection, which is constructed of strong material that diverts the rocket, and of reactive protection, which is comprised of plates that contain explosives. The minute the rocket jet stream hits one of those plates the explosives go off, preventing the rocket from penetrating the APC.
The add-on armor consists of 105 tiles that attach to the sides, the turret and the front of each Bradley. The tiles, which look like small boxes, contain a special explosive charge that detonates when hit by a missile or rocket with a shaped-charge warhead. The resulting explosion disrupts the incoming, armor-penetrating gas jet produced by a RPG, for example, so the Bradley remains unharmed.
"The armor has minimal effect on the vehicle, it's lightweight and easy to enter. Crews in the field can handle it easily," the Rafael source told ISRAEL21c. "The active armor is also easy to handle - it can operate in extreme conditions and temperatures."
"The idea is to apply chemical energy against chemical energy," an official within Rafael told Defense News.. "These tiles contain a very special, insensitive explosive that is detonated only when hit by a missile or a rocket. For safety reasons, our armor does not react to other heat sources such as small arms or other fragments. When it detonates, the action of the elements inside the tiles interact with the incoming jet of the warhead, and defeats it."
The US Army is thrilled with the results, according a release from the US Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems (PEO-GCS).
"Reactive armor has functioned very well. The soldiers in these (Bradley) units are excited about the product because it is providing a level of survivability that they previously didn't have," said Maj. John Conway, assistant product manager of Bradley systems for the PEO-GCS.
"All you have to do is read the news about the kinds of threats our soldiers are encountering and you immediately realize that these tiles are saving lives because they are defeating the threats they were designed to defeat," Conway said, adding "for the foreseeable future, reactive armor is one of the best ways to defeat these kinds of threats."
"The Bradley program manager told us he had no doubt that the Rafael reactive armor was saving lives in Iraq," Rafael Chairman Jacob Toren told Defense News. "This is a proven capability; it's not theoretical. It's in full production at GDATP and here at Rafael."
Rafael first began applying reactive armor technology immediately after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when the Israeli military realized its older-model tanks were vulnerable to missiles and rockets. Israel became the world's first army to use reactive armor, but kept it secret until Syrian forces captured an Israeli tank in Lebanon.
Since then, Rafael has continuously improved its technology and applied it to numerous programs in Israel and abroad. The armored systems directorate official noted that Rafael provided add-on armor for the U.S. Marine Corps' AAV7 amphibious assault vehicles used during major combat operations in Iraq earlier last year.
Rafael has been working with GDATP since 1994 to provide reactive armor sets for the U.S. Army Bradleys. The latest contracts for the improved sets bring total production orders to 605.
Rafael's representative told ISRAEL21c "The result is a quality-proven product which has saved the lives of many Marines."
Actually, the fact that you focus more on your grudges against Israel, than the fact that Americans are being saved, (which is what this article is about) does indeed bring up the issue of someone's disloyalty...
Eff off, Nazi. There have been loads of friendly fire incidents between allies before, and no one attributed it to a sinister conspiracy like you have.
Please indicate anything I’ve written that could be considered remotely anti-Semitic. Absent that, please confine yourself to the issues at hand.
First rule of anti-Semites on FR, when they first appear - deny all charges of anti-Semitism, then continute to discredit Israel. After that, discredit the Jewish lobby in the States, etc. etc. You're operating to an old playbook, and I've seen it all before. You tin plated Sieg Heilers are a dime a dozen and all iredeemably stupid.
Ivan
cruising at 30 knots (it was later recalculated to be 28 knots). Under Israeli (and U.S.) naval doctrine at the time, a ship proceeding at that speed was presumed to be a warship. The sea was calm and the U.S. Navy Court of Inquiry found that the Liberty's flag was very likely drooped and not discernible
So a flag droops in a 28-30 kt slipstream, nu?
What part of the "Friendly Fire" bit of my argument did you miss. Oh, all of it? Yes, it's because it doesn't fit in with your worldview, of course.
Your definition of an anti-Semitic seems to be anyone who fails to heap Israel with the most effusive praise.
You're just upset that I exposed you this early in the game. Aww, are you going to pout now, Herr Streicher?
Ivan
Shut up. You are hardly original with your complaints and BS. We seen your kind before. You average 5 posts per year.
I'm not too familiar with "The Liberty Incident" but I do know that the Liberty and the Pueblo were intelligence gathering ships that were converted WW2 Liberty Ships. These were el cheapo merchantmen that were not capable of anything like those speeds. So yes, I'd say that the initial reports of 30 Knots, even 28 knots, were way too high for an old tub like that. Somebody wasn't interpreting their radar track correctly.
Curious then as to why Saddam didn't have these weapons, or why they didn't fall into the hands of the insurgents if he did.
Hey, Ivan, I think you should let him know how you really feel. Stop beating about the bush.
I'm calling a spade a spade, not an "earth moving handheld implement". Your tiresome, tedious nonsense has been repeated and refuted before - I'm making you aware of the fact that you shouldn't waste our time with it. Now go polish your boots before going to the next Stormfront rally, which I hope the FBI will be attending and taking down all your names.
Those who would know, Sailors aboard the Liberty (e.g. Not You), insist that it’s very unlikely that the IAF pilots didn’t know the Liberty was a US Ship.
Yawn. Friendly fire incidents happen all the time. This one incident is being blown out of proportion because it suits the agenda of anti-Semites. I repeat - this rubbish has been repeated by your Kameraden here before. IAF Thunderpilot produced a nice long refuation to it, which I see you can't address - one of the hallmarks of a totalitarian moron is their inability to absorb facts which don't adhere to their worldview, and you are Exhibit A.
If conspiring to steal US secrets is not a textbook definition of disloyalty, please offer me your definition.
I see, change the argument since you're losing. Allied nations do spy on each other from time to time - I recall one incident in which I thank God for it: the FBI told the British government that Edward VIII's future bride, Wallis Simpson, was actually Von Ribbentrop's lover. Should the FBI have been spying on an ally? In this instance, absolutely!
In any event, you're not deviating from the anti-Semite playbook by one iota. I'm sure the mods will notice presently and fry your sorry arse. Enjoy.
Ivan
I am actually holding back. Not only do I have a first class education in what the Nazis did to my country, I visited Auschwitz. To say that every last Anti-Semite / Nazi should have the guts kicked out of them is to understate my views.
Regards, Ivan
"IAF Thunderpilot produced a nice long refuation to it, which I see you can't address - one of the hallmarks of a totalitarian moron is their inability to absorb facts which don't adhere to their worldview, and you are Exhibit A."
I was just about to tell that carpetbagger a similar thing, but I see that you managed to do that before me :)
ERA is yet another example of a military technology developed in order to neutralise a disadvantage rather than take it head on.It's much like how the Russians developed supersonic anti-ship missiles after realising that their targetting & ECCM systems were never going to match Western standards.The same logic is evident in ERA systems which the Russians have developed for most of their tanks including T-62s.A lot of countries are developing or have developed ERA systems including the US,but Israel & Russia have been the most energetic about it & for obvious reasons.
Well the RAF had to fire off a few broadsides at the Nazis for old times' sake. Over to you, sir. :)
Regards, Ivan
Again, calling me names in not an argument. I’ve been on FR for several year and all of my post are fully searchable. Though my memory may be in error, I’m fairly sure I can be accused of little else but a fondness of the Red Sox, motorcycles, sports cars, cats and an deep, abiding hatred of the NY Yankees.
I don’t think any of those would qualify me as a racist. But you seem to take a more expansive definition than I.
The board of inquiry had an incentive to smooth things over and it’s perfectly understandable. Sailors aboard the ship tell a different story. Are they lying? Maybe; but I find their stories credible and they seem to lack ulterior motives.
Allies do spy on each other; it’s an unfortunate fact of relation between counties. All counties act in their own best interest, but stealing intelligence is hardly an act of fidelity.
I view US / French relations with a jaundiced eye because of their past behavior. Does this make me a Franco-phobe?
Unless you can stay on topic - stay off this thread. Thanks.
^ He didn't even bother to read my comment. He can't confront with so many facts at the same time.
Carpetbagger, you lost.
Shhh...keep this article quiet! It might offend our wonderful Muslim allies!
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