Posted on 06/06/2006 9:01:52 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
“Defense News”: Israel planning “Arrow Mark 4”
Israel has asked the US for $58 million to speed up production of Arrow interceptor missile.
Ran Dagoni, Washington 5 Jun 06 14:28
Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd. (IAI) subsidiary Elta Group, the Israel Air Force, and Ministry of Defense are designing components for the Arrow Mark IV, which will have qualitatively better performance than current versions. The Arrow upgrade is one response to the threat posted by conventional or nuclear armed Iranian ballistic missiles, says “Defense News”, citing Israeli defense sources. The Arrow Mark IV will have a new radar unit, improved interceptor missiles, and other components that will convert the system from a theater anti-ballistic missile defense system into an integrated nationwide anti-ballistic missile defense system.
An official Ministry of Defense source said the new radar would turn the Arrow Mark IV into a completely holographic system, which will enable control of interceptor missiles from any location.
Elta is developing the Arrow Mark IV radar, the Green Pine I, which will have a much deeper monitoring range than the 700-kilometer range of the existing radar. The new radar is scheduled to enter operational service in 2009.
Arrow program heads said they plan to gradually improve the system, step by step, including a Mark 3.5 version with improved radar and interceptor missiles, which will enter service in early 2007.
The upgrade program is part of an Arrow system upgrade program, which will terminate at the end of the 2008 fiscal year. The US is financing two-thirds of the program, and Israel is financing the rest.
The US Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has asked Congress for $77 million for the upgrade program for 2007. Israel’s Ministry of Defense wants an additional $58 million from Congress to finance accelerated joint production of the Arrow’s interceptor missiles, and to conduct research on other improvements needed to counter the Iranian nuclear threat.
The Arrow upgrade program is part of Israel’s preparations to counter Iran’s efforts to develop and produce nuclear weapons. In the coming months, Israel plans to launch its latest spy satellite, which will be able to spot changes on the ground in Iran, even in poor weather conditions and under cloud cover.
In a separate development, the Israel Navy is finalizing details of a contract with a German shipyard for two more submarines, which will reinforce Israel’s strategic deterrence capability, or launch a retaliatory strike against Iran from the sea in the event of a missile attack.
“Defense News” says that, in recent months, Israeli and US officials have increased the two countries’ response coordination, in the event that diplomatic efforts to halt Iran’s nuclear efforts fail.
It would be the best 58 million we ever spent. Those guys know how to hot-rod those missiles. They have to.
Speeding up development can be like speeding up a food recipe... quality may suffer, to say the least.
While I support Israel and her fight for existence, why do US tax payers have to foot the bill for this?
Very simple, America is footing 2/3rd of the bill so that they can quickly learn & adapt the technology to America's own missile defense technology.
Btw, did you know that almost ALL of the stuff we take for granted today has its roots (directly & indirectly) from a military development?
From the lowly Velcro which was developed by NASA to keep stuff together in the space shuttle, to the Internet (No, Al Gore did not invent it) which was intended to have a unjammable backup communication network in case of a nuclear war.
So I guess in a way WAR IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS :-)
Heck, remember after the fall of the Soviet Union how a lot of military & defense contractors in the world was wondering how to survive with the superpowers (now only 1) downsizing. Then outta the blue Saddam gives the world a ripe target, we have Gulf War 1, the wealthy Mideast states start arming like there's no tomorrow and as a added bonus America gets first dibs at the rebuilding contracts for Kuwait!!!
Gulf war 1 actually pulled the world (esp the west) out of a mild recession and helped rebuild America's defense industries.
An IDF Ping
"Very simple, America is footing 2/3rd of the bill so that they can quickly learn & adapt the technology to America's own missile defense technology."
It's far from simple although I agree that this is part of it and I don't want to pick apart one sentence. I'm still arguing against Israel reselling our technology and this is a good reminder of some of the many benefits we get.
Ping!
---------------------------
"It would be the best 58 million we ever spent. Those guys know how to hot-rod those missiles. They have to."
I agree, the defense analysists here in the states would say we would need 1 billion for such an upgrade. Plus, we get the design specifications at the end of the day.
"In a separate development, the Israel Navy is finalizing details of a contract with a German shipyard for two more submarines, which will reinforce Israel’s strategic deterrence capability, or launch a retaliatory strike against Iran from the sea in the event of a missile attack. "
We should give them a couple of Tridents. Give Taiwan a couple also.
Right on; Israeli R&D is second to none, and they share the good stuff w/ us. Win-win.
Count me in. During the Cold War and now in the war vs. terror, we have felt somewhat up against it. Imagine how the Taiwanese and Israelis feel (nervous like a chihuahua in a herd of anxious elephants)!
Patriot, Aegis, BMD, good enough for America, but Israel turns their nose up at it.
Why?
The same pride that made them turn their nose up at Patriot before the Gulf War, then scream for more Patriots delivered wicky wicky when Arrow was unable to defeat Saddam's threat.
So we are asked to pay for not one, but TWO missile defense systems?
Ours, AND ARROW?
Oh spare me, you want to poop around re-inventing the wheel, do so on your dime.
If you can't live with $77 mill, and expect us to pay for your third as well, (plus who knows what, a third of 77 is 26 not 58) then turn your nose up at that.
We'll be happy to put it to better use elsewhere.
If you don't like our deal, hook up with Russia or China. You were handy when Russia was all big and bad, but that ended, and your endless grovelling is wearing thin. Go find a new sugar daddy.
FYI BUMP
I dunno. I read somewhere that all of our modern technology is a product of backward engineered items found from or around a certain weather balloon that crash landed in Roswell N.M., back in the late 1940's.
LoL!
I wish that I had more time to play.
I would expect that we get to play with these toys too.
Because we helped them build a system that Congress denies us to protect our own country. That way, if in the future we need systems more capable than what we have we can start production of the same product.
Them's some mighty fine toys to be giving away, but I have to agree. Can we keep the launch codes, though?
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