Posted on 11/19/2012 5:03:52 PM PST by raptor22
Security: As Hamas launches rockets toward Israeli population centers, Tel Aviv's investment in missile defense passes its acid test, destroying the vast majority. The U.S., meanwhile, is moving in just the opposite direction.
On Sunday, Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system successfully shot down two Iranian-made Fajr-5 rockets aimed at the heart of Tel-Aviv by Hamas' armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades. It was just one of many such interceptions by what is now the world's only battle-tested missile defense system.
The "Fajr" (Dawn) series are mobile-launched, unguided, solid-fuel artillery rockets developed by Iran during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war with the likely help of Russia and China. It is believed that in 2001 Iran first supplied Fajr-5 rockets to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. And now Hamas has them.
The Israeli Defense Ministry deployed an upgraded Iron Dome missile battery in the Gush Dan area in central Israel on Saturday morning. Roughly equivalent to the U.S. Patriot missile defense system, the battery is the fifth Iron Dome system operational in Israel.
In total, Palestinians fired 740 rockets toward the Jewish state in the first few days of Operation Pillar of Defense, which began last Wednesday. They ranged from the Fajr-5 to the unsophisticated Katyusha rockets, but only around 30 of those landed in built-up areas
(Excerpt) Read more at news.investors.com ...
Israel has to go in and destroy every rocket they can find!
Would be nice to have a tracking system that sends a rocket back to the source. Maybe something that has a large blast radius.
“It was just one of many such interceptions by what is now the world’s only battle-tested missile defense system.”
So are the Patriot Missiles gone? Wouldn’t you call them battle-tested? Am I that old?
Glad-to-be-of-assistance-ping
I'm very interested in how they got them. Israel's kept a pretty tight lid on the seafaring ports, so that means they probably came from Egypt. More fruits of the Arab Spring?
No, that bothered me too. Not new and sexy enough, I guess...
this is a situation of Hamas serving as an Iranian combat surrogate to test and learn the limits and vulnerabilities of the Iron Dome system . Also to degrade IDF stockpiles of munitions supporting this system , making them vulnerable to being overrun by not distant future Iranian barrages of missiles . Iran/Hamas/Hezbollah know that an America under the Obama regime will not support or resupply Israel’s military requirements for resupply anymore . They are on their own . They can only , ultimately , rely on their nukes at this point . Get-it-on time is right around the corner . Are you ready?
Israel is relying on its own resources, particularly since Obama is throwing them under the Iranian bus. Patriots are battle-tested, but Iron Dome is the only one battle-tested in defense of a nation’s own territory.
We have that capability. We need to be sharing and assisting Israel, but I don't have any hopes of the Muslim in chief doing so. Damn it, this ticks me off.
The tunnels in from Egypt are unbelievable - they make the Mexican smuggling tunnels look like amateur efforts.
An interesting post. Are the Israelis burning up their stock of sophisticated weapons against these bargain basement rockets?
Depends on your perspective.
Not a success if you are a palee.
Not a success if you are Iran or Morsi or Meshal.
Not a success if you are 0bama.
What you're talking about is called counter-battery radar guided artillery which has been around since the eighties. The Israelis have this capability in their Shilem system. They could easily lob 155mm artillery shells back to the rocket launch sites, but they don't use these against Hamas because they're not as accurate as guided bombs and would hit more civilians.
I wish they could figure out lasers and possibly rail-guns. The upfront investment is a lot, but the per shoot down cost hopefully would be much better. I wonder how much the iron dome missiles are per copy?
I’d use the IDF to create a WIDE buffer zone between Sinai and Gaza....then ANNEX the buffer zone.
It’s an interesting thing to note that since Israel is now in full on war mobilization mode with bomb shelters readied and the civilians and reserves prepared.. it’s a great time to hit Iran.
Israel has a reserve army that cannot be pulled away from their lives too often or for too long at a time. This means Israel must always take care of business quickly when the reserves are called....so the urge is to take out Gaza, Hez in Lebanon, Egypt and Iran while the IDF is mobilized...perhaps lay some hurt on Syria as well if they act up.
And please, this time ANNEX the northern half of the Sinai!
Bargain away the southern half if you must but never let Egypt close to the current border again.
We have that capability. We need to be sharing and assisting Israel, but I don’t have any hopes of the Muslim in chief doing so. Damn it, this ticks me off.
***
Then we really need to repent of our sins (divorce, porn, adultery, loving money, ...) and pray earnestly and faithfully in Jesus’ name for a Christian revival, since only God can rescue us at this point.
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