Posted on 06/19/2006 4:02:38 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Israeli-made targeting pod used to kill al Zarqawi
Rafael’s Litening system marks the target, guides the ordinance with lasers, and evaluates damage.
Amnon Barzilai 18 Jun 06 10:37
Abu Musab al Zarqawi, al-Qaida’s top terrorist in Iraq, was killed with help of Israeli target acquisition technology fitted onto a US Air Force F-16. Rafael Armament Development Authority Ltd. supplies Litening advanced airborne infrared targeting and navigation pod to Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC), which installs them on combat jets under a cooperation agreement. The Israel Air Force also uses the Litening. According to a report by senior US Air Force officers, al Zarqawi was killed by a pair of USAF F-16s on a routine mission in central Iraq, when the decision to act was taken. USAF commander in Iraq, Lt.-Gen. Gary North said the fighters carried a variety of laser and GPS-guided ordinance and the Litening pod.
The Litening pod has target-acquisition capability, laser spot detection and tracking and a video camera. For the Zarqawi strike, the pilot activated the system from 20,000 feet, guided a 250kg. bomb to its target, and then used pod’s video camera to examine the resulting damage. A second bomb was then dropped, which killed al Zarqawi.
In a media briefing, senior USAF officers mentioned Litening’s role in locating the target. “Aviation Week” said that the pod was Northrop Grumman’s but did not mention that the technology was Israeli, developed at Rafael.
And, it comes with the special ground pork DNA dispersal option, for use on Muslim targets we are ESPECIALLY interested in.
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It is somewhat uncomfortable. I hope every American in the military industry were given more chance for revenge against terrorists who killed Americans, revenge by contributing to the military for manufacturing the military equipments. Israeli equipments have taken away the opportunity to give chance to more Americans for the revenge. I hope most (if not all) will be Made in USA equipments to be equiped on the weapon to assassinate Osama Bin Laden to give many Americans as possible for the revenge what he has done to our country. This is our job, our fight, our war, our revenge against Islamists what they have done to us, not the Israelis. How would the Israelis feel if they were taken away the opportunity for revenge against Hamas and Hezbolla that has killed Israelis.
I don't think they mind a bit, judging by all the American hardware they use. Dead is dead.
The fact that this murdering bastich is dead, and won't be planning or carrying out any more terrorist acts is good enough for me. I suspect that the Israelis would feel the same way - in fact, they use lots of made-in-US equipment already (F-15s, F16s, Apaches, etc.). Where the stuff is made is really not so important as long as it does the job (unless you are a jihadist, for whom the idea of being killed by a "Joooooooish" or "Evil Zionist" bullet or bomb is cause for apoplexy).
Also, Zarq was wearing a shirt that had a button that was actually an RFID and the other bomb zeroed in on that. The button had been emplaced by one of our agents while the shirt was hanging in his travel bag.
It was the Joooooos!
ping
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