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Sky News: Hizbollah Rocket Hits City Of Haifa
www.sky.com/skynews ^ | July 13, 2006 | Sky News

Posted on 07/13/2006 10:08:43 AM PDT by dan_s

Edited on 07/13/2006 10:42:45 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]

Just a headline on British Sky News

UPDATE:

Middle East Rocket Strikes


TOPICS: Breaking News; Israel; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2006israelwar; haifa; hizbollah; israel; rocket
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To: FearlessFreep
Watch gas jump at least .50 a gallon

Well worth it to watch Israel dispense justice to these b**tards.

221 posted on 07/13/2006 11:05:58 AM PDT by Texas Federalist (True statesmen ... are not defined by what they compromise, but what they don’t.)
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To: petercooper
Saw this variation of that photo here yesterday:

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

222 posted on 07/13/2006 11:06:25 AM PDT by Kenny Bunkport
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To: fanfan

Rather 'mono-tone'. Are you 24/7 member. I've thought about joining.


223 posted on 07/13/2006 11:06:57 AM PDT by proud_yank (Truth to liberals is as useful as a snowblower in hell.)
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To: Texas Federalist
Watch gas jump at least .50 a gallon Well worth it to watch Israel dispense justice to these b**tards.

Well said. No pain, no gain.

224 posted on 07/13/2006 11:07:01 AM PDT by rhombus
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To: Mo1

Thank you.....this is all so sad.


225 posted on 07/13/2006 11:07:09 AM PDT by Jrabbit (Scuse me??)
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To: Kenny Bunkport

perfect


226 posted on 07/13/2006 11:07:10 AM PDT by petercooper (Have you pissed off a liberal today?)
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Comment #227 Removed by Moderator

To: NinoFan

I wouldn't rule any of that out. The gloves are off.

I agree about being selective, but I'm not seeking to imply they should use moderate force against their enemies. It's time to let the hounds loose.


228 posted on 07/13/2006 11:07:42 AM PDT by DoughtyOne (Al Qaeda / Taliban operatives: Read the NY Times, for daily up to the minute security threat tips.)
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To: Mo1
Our news is slow in reporting whats going on

Any new breaks in the Natalie Holloway case? /sarc

229 posted on 07/13/2006 11:08:09 AM PDT by Kenny Bunkport
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To: fanfan

Just curious, do you have his 'How to debate a liberal and win every time'? Is there a link for it?


230 posted on 07/13/2006 11:08:32 AM PDT by proud_yank (Truth to liberals is as useful as a snowblower in hell.)
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To: Jrabbit

Luckily their aim is usually pretty bad. They've been firing Kassam rockets at Israel for years and it's very rare that someone is injured or killed.


231 posted on 07/13/2006 11:08:46 AM PDT by aynrandfreak (The Left hates America)
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To: Mo1

They sure are. I've stopped turning on the TV (too frustrating) and am just staying put in front of the computer.


232 posted on 07/13/2006 11:08:46 AM PDT by agrace
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To: agrace

ping


233 posted on 07/13/2006 11:09:14 AM PDT by TNdandelion
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To: RightWhale
I seem to be the only one in the place (80 employees) who even knows that this is happening. And I don't have Fox News here, which is driving me nuts. And then the EBS thing is making me nervous.

Carolyn

234 posted on 07/13/2006 11:09:22 AM PDT by CDHart ("It's too late to work within the system and too early to shoot the b@#$%^&s."--Claire Wolfe)
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To: Alter Kaker
As of today, all of Israel, ..., are in missile range of the terrorists.

That was my understanding as well...

All the more reason to robustly deploy this:

Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL)

The Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) is a joint project of the United States and Israel designed to destroy short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, ground- and air-launched rockets, unmanned aerial vehicles, mortar shells, and artillery projectiles. It consists of an advanced radar that detects and tracks incoming rockets, and a high-energy laser beam that destroys them.

Since the early 1980s, Israel has faced a constant threat from Hezbollah guerillas along its northern border. During eighteen years of fighting, the guerrillas wreaked havoc by firing numerous small, unguided Katyusha rockets at Israeli towns. The rockets were fast and low-flying and caused considerable damage. Hezbollah’s attacks were so numerous that Israel could not use interceptor missiles. In addition, since the Katyushas flew on ballistic trajectories and landed on Israeli towns unless completely destroyed, Israel could not deploy advanced machine guns such as those used by U.S. Navy ships against low-flying cruise missiles.

In 1995, the U.S. and Israel decided to address the growing problem of low-flying missiles by developing a high energy laser. The idea was to build a weapons system that could detect and eliminate threats at the speed of light while maintaining a low per-kill cost. Since Hezbollah was launching thousands of rockets, the defense system had to be capable of handling a large volume of attacks. In February 1996, the prototype U.S. high energy laser, known as Nautilus, destroyed a short-range rocket at a test site in New Mexico. It was the first time that a laser had ever destroyed a ballistic missile.

In April 1996, Hezbollah guerrillas fired over two dozen Katyusha rockets at Israel within 17 days. After that, the U.S. and Israel accelerated the high energy laser project, then known as the Tactical High Energy Laser/Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrator, or THEL/ACTD. Although Israel has not been attacked since it withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, Israeli officials estimate that Hezbollah still has 11,000 Katyushas aimed at border towns.

Once operational, THEL will consist of four main components: a command center, a fire control radar, a pointer-tracker, and the high energy laser itself. The command center, known as Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I), will manage all aspects of the system, including detecting, tracking, and destroying incoming targets within THEL’s range. C3I will be operated by a two-man crew: a commander and a gunner.

Positioned near the hostile zone, the fire control radar will continuously scan the horizon for threats. Once an incoming rocket has been detected, the radar will calculate the target’s trajectory and enable the pointer-tracker to lock on to the target. THEL will be mounted on a large gimbaled assembly that will allow the pointer-tracker to swivel when tracking the rockets.

Once the target is within range, the pointer-tracker will focus THEL’s high-energy deuterium-fluoride (DF) laser beam on the incoming rocket. The DF laser beam is created by mixing fluorine atoms with helium and deuterium to generate DF in an excited state. A resonator extracts the DF and transforms it into a beam of coherent, monochromatic light.

The beam itself is only a few inches in diameter, but is powerful enough to heat steel at 200 yards or more. The pointer-tracker will keep the laser beam focused on the incoming rocket until the intense heat causes the warhead to explode. Debris from the blast will fall short of the rocket’s intended target, thus effectively neutralizing the threat. Once deployed, THEL will be capable of firing 60 shots before reloading. The system will operate at a per-kill cost of approximately $3,000, making it one of the most inexpensive anti-missile systems in existence.

In 2002, Northrop Grumman acquired TRW, the company that had been in charge of THEL up to that point. Northrop Grumman currently manages the system’s development and testing. Other U.S. contractors include Ball Aerospace and Brashear LP, while Israeli partners include Electro-Optic Industries, Israel Aircraft Industries, Yehud Industrial Zone, RAFAEL, and Tadiran.

To date, THEL has destroyed 28 Katyusha test rockets and five test artillery shells. On May 4, 2004, THEL’s new transportable version, known as the Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser (MTHEL), tracked and destroyed a large-caliber test rocket at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Ranch in New Mexico. The rocket flew faster and higher than the Katyushas, and carried a live warhead. The U.S. and Israel expect MTHEL to be operational and ready for deployment by 2007.

Sources

Robert K. Ackerman, “Mobile Laser Offers Tactical Defense,” Signal, Volume 58, Issue 3, November 1, 2003.

The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise Website, “The Tactical High Energy Laser.”

Defense Update Website, “Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) Program”

Federation of American Scientists Website, “Tactical High Energy Laser ACTD”

Federation of American Scientists Website, “Tactical High Energy Laser Program Is Alive and Well.”

Kerry Gildea, “Zapping Short-range Threats,” The Spectrum Online, November 7, 2002.

“Israel, U.S. Test Laser That Can Knock Down Rockets,” Dow Jones International News, October 29, 2003.

Kathy Kincade, “Military Moves Forward With MTHEL Project,” Optoelectronics Report, Volume 11, Issue 7, April 1, 2004

Northrop Grumman Website, “Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser”

Northrop Grumman Capitol Source Website, “Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser”

Northrop Grumman Capitol Source Website, “U.S. Army Selects Northrop Grumman Design Concept for Mobile High-Energy Laser Weapon for Tactical Missile Defense,” Press Release, August 21, 2003.

Northrop Grumman Press Release, “Northrop Grumman-Built High-Energy Laser Destroys Large-Caliber Rocket in History-Making Test: Shootdown Shows MTHEL’s Potential Versatility Against Increasing Range of Battlefield Threats,” May 6, 2004.

Ann Roosevelt, “Laser Weapon System Work Could Start This Summer,” Defense Daily, Vol. 221, Issue 44, March 10, 2004.

Marc Selinger “Army Poised To Award MTHEL Contract To NG,” Aerospace Daily, Volume 208, No. 47, December 8, 2003.

Marc Selinger, “Laser To Target Large-caliber Rockets For First Time, U.S. Army Says, Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, Volume 210 , No. 21, April 29, 2004.

Arieh O’Sullivan, “US-Israeli Laser Test Partially Successful,” The Jerusalem Post, May 2, 2004.

Jim Wilson, “Beyond Bullets: The Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser Has Scored 3 Array Kills, Including 26 Katyusha Rockets,” Popular Mechanics Website.


235 posted on 07/13/2006 11:09:57 AM PDT by Paul Ross (We cannot be for lawful ordinances and for an alien conspiracy at one and the same moment.-Cicero)
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To: Aquamarine

"Surely Israels Intelligence could tell where the rockets are being fired from"

I'm sure they do know where they were fired from, but as for who fired them . . . ? Like i said, Iranian special forces were reported to have been deployed to the Israeli northern border some months ago and seeing as Iran is the supplier of the missiles with the range to hit Hafia . . . All i'm saying is maybe Hizbullah didn't do this


236 posted on 07/13/2006 11:11:02 AM PDT by jhp
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To: Texas Federalist

Good point, but I might want to fill up today!


237 posted on 07/13/2006 11:11:06 AM PDT by proud_yank (Truth to liberals is as useful as a snowblower in hell.)
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To: All

Hezbollah's Al-Manar television showing an image of the Iranian-made Fajar rocket of the type that was fired at Haifa on Thursday evening. (Haaretz)
238 posted on 07/13/2006 11:11:28 AM PDT by debg
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To: Teufelhunde
"And if i was in Tehran i'd be keeping an eye out also"

If Mullah Omar is in Tehran, it's assured he's keeping an eye out.

239 posted on 07/13/2006 11:11:40 AM PDT by Kenny Bunkport
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To: CDHart

Well Fox News was just discussing sibling rivalry. You're better off here


240 posted on 07/13/2006 11:12:29 AM PDT by petercooper (Have you pissed off a liberal today?)
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