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A Great White Fleet for the 21st Century
March 18, 2011 | 180 comments
Special Report
Meanwhile, in Israel…
It’s come under fire again from Gaza. Why weren’t its defense systems ready? (Updated, March 28, 2:05 p.m.)
(Page 2 of 4)
The system was co-developed by America’s military, Northrup Grumman, and Israel in a program begun in 1996; THEL was tested at the White Sands Missile Range in 1998. An initial operating capability (IOC) was penciled in for 1999, but THEL was never deployed. Unfortunately, it seems that few in authority put much faith in the fact that rockets, artillery shells, and mortar rounds can in fact be shot down with high-energy beams of light from a Deuterium Fluoride laser.
But in 2004 tests, THEL was said to approach 100% effectiveness intercepting Katusha rockets, artillery shells, and mortar rounds at ranges of up to five kilometers. In fact, if pursued, THEL might have been deployed as a fixed defense by 2004, protecting Israelis against the fire that triggered the current conflict.
Why isn’t THEL defending Israel now? There are several reasons on the record, one being that the Israeli Defense Forces wanted a mobile version, MTHEL, and therefore decided not to deploy the fixed system. An MTHEL program was launched, but its funding was reduced. The cutback slowed development and MTHEL’s operational date slid to 2010. It is still sliding, apparently.
Other criticisms included its use of corrosive fuels, and the vulnerability of their tanks, but this would seem to apply more to MTHEL than THEL which could have been placed in hardened locations. Also, critics said THEL’s range was too short and, besides, it’s often cloudy in northern Israel, therefore the laser might have been ineffective. Of course, it’s also clear often, and it’s normally clear on the Gaza border, whence most of the missiles seem to come.
At any rate, after expending more than $300 million, according to the New York Times, THEL appears to have been shelved in 2006, at least in its fixed-defense form.
Even so, some programs live on beneath the radar, and THEL may be one of them though facts are hard to come by. If so, THEL’s cost per engagement may be a plus. Though hardly cheap, as defense systems go THEL’s operation is not overly costly. Shooting down an incoming missile with THEL costs an estimated $3,000. That may be less than a tenth the price of a guided anti-missile, and dirt cheap compared to a human life.
Israel could have sited hardened THEL batteries at strategic locations along its borders, especially near Gaza, and soon convinced Hamas that their cheap rockets were a waste of time. Ditto for the better Grad/Katusha rockets Hamas is now receiving. Compared with the speed of light, the most sophisticated rocket is a very slow creature.
Home-Grown Alternative
Instead, Israel’s answer to the problem of incoming fire from Gaza and Lebanon has been Iron Dome, developed domestically by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems at a price which Haaretz estimates at about $250 million plus about $50 million per battery. The U.S. contributed more than $200 million to its development. The cost of its anti-missiles is not stated, but “cost of intercept” is apparently runs to five figures, according to military sources.
Iron Dome uses a missile to kill a missile. It is capable of destroying an incoming rocket in less than half a minute, though it can’t engage targets much closer than about 1.7 miles.
Unfortunately, Iron Dome has two immediate problems. The first is that the Palestinians attacked before the system was deployed, and only now is a single battery active. The second, future, problem is whether firing a relatively expensive anti-missile against a stove-pipe rocket is affordable in the long run.
While there are few figures on the cost of Iron Dome’s anti-missile (defensetech.org cites a price of about $50,000, but confirmation is hard to find), it must cost far more than a stove-pipe rocket built by unpaid amateur labor in a Gaza garage. Whatever the cost of its anti-missile, the Israeli military appears to think it’s high, according to defensetech.org.
Tactically, it’s an open question whether the Palestinians will try to saturate Iron Dome with large numbers of stove-pipe rockets, making it too costly to be practical. They could also fire a cloud of stove-pipe rockets, empty Iron Dome’s magazines, then begin firing the more dangerous Grad/Katusha at undefended targets.
According to Israeli media reports, the country is thought to have just the one mobile Iron Dome battery available at the moment, according to YnetNews.com, the one sent south last week to protect the territory bordering Gaza. However while proof tests were successful, there is always some question about effectiveness until any system has been battle tested. This would be Iron Dome’s first use defending against an actual attack. Hopefully, it’s up to the challenge. The Israeli military, hedging its bets, is calling this “an operational experiment,” adding that full operational capability lies in the future.
Even if Iron Dome performs flawlessly, there are issues of quantity and availability.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (21) | Leave a comment
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martin j smith| 3.28.11 @ 8:03AM
Israel about the size of new jersey is like the US a democratic nation with its pros and cons. Plus the fact that it is depends on an undependable US even more so on the undependable side. Given that it is a miracle Israel survives. I thin about seventy five percent of Israelis care about their own nation--perhaps twenty five percent + or - may not. Netenyahu is no fool and is playing an extremely delicate military-diplomatic game ( not a joke ) withe US and the STRING QUARTET. And I would also bet that there is a certain level of what Israelis are doing WE DO NOT AND SHOULD NOT KNOW ABOUT.
Alan Brooks| 3.28.11 @ 9:39PM
"....when we stop supporting and fighting for Israel's right to being.............period."
NaturalBornTexan, unfortunately, Israel is the scapegoat of the world; remember it took the largest war in history to hunt Hitler down like a mad dog, and three years after the war to create Israel. Tell Red Phillips, a few others at AS, and the many Texans who hate Israel what you wrote. Israel-hating is in every state, and will continue in every state as people not only want scapegoats, but need them.one thing i DETEST is for a German to criticize Israel, I feel like cutting his tongue out from his mouth.
Louis Jenkins| 3.28.11 @ 8:43AM
I am anxiously awaiting the next jaw dropping development that will come out of Israel.
Brian Mc| 3.28.11 @ 8:53AM
Reminds me of fire extinquisher training. It is always best to aim at the base, rather than the flames.
NaturalBorn Texican| 3.28.11 @ 8:55AM
Israel survives because the Lord God of Heaven wills it. The Jews are his people and they will not be wiped from the face of the earth....even though it seems like every other country on this planet is against them, even, at times, the US. I hope not....for that is when the US will fall apart....when we stop supporting and fighting for Israel's right to being.............period.
ShortNSweet| 3.28.11 @ 10:00AM
Israel will stand with or without MThel, Thel, Cram or whatever. They have the God of Heaven on their side. He will protect them with fire from heaven if he chooses. It is my hope that the Muslim Pres of the United States of America will be out of here and that the USofA is 100% on there side...if not, it will be a sad, sad day for the US of A.
NaturalBorn Texican| 3.28.11 @ 10:04AM
Ditto!!!! Short n sweet!
Harry the Horrible| 3.28.11 @ 10:37AM
Problem is, that every shot from Iron Dome costs more than the weapon it is being deployed against.
The most comprehensive, long-lasting, and cost-effect solution would be to drive the Palis out of the Gaza strip into Egypt or into the Med.
Skippy| 3.28.11 @ 6:32PM
Finally!
I have been suggesting that solution since I was 10 and learned of the conflict.
Nothing in the ensuing 45 years has changed my mind.
Thank you Harry!
OLDRAY| 3.28.11 @ 11:20AM
HAMAS , BIBI & BARAK sre defeating Israel...No defense tactics alone will stop the attacks which are sure to end with cemical or oil storage tanks in Ashdod being blown with horrific results.. Killing off a few terrorists in reprisals is worthless. Those who willingly send off their children as himan bombs couldn't care less about a few Hamas leaders being blown away. The more worthwhile deterent is to turn the Gazan populace against Hamas & friends. Israel strikes against key infrastructure can do this. It can be done with next to no loss of civilian lives. Example: notify (by leaflets, radio, cell phine etc.) that between X hour and Y hour they should stay away from the day's infrastructure targets (example: petrol stations) as they will be blown up. The next time there is a rocket or missile attack repeat with diffenent infrastructure target (power station, cell towers etc ). The populace can be turned against those causing their problems by their attacks. Put the blame where it belongs.
David W| 3.28.11 @ 12:35PM
When Israel is attacked again, let us hope for three things:
1) its survival
2) those attacking have their butts severely kicked
3) that if the Palistenians are involved either indirectly (by letting invaders use their territory) or directly (firing missiles, sending in armed troops) Israel decides that there can be no peace with the Palistenian rabble and kicks them out of Gaza and the West Bank.
Smirking Weasel| 3.28.11 @ 4:23PM
Israel is a foreign country. It's problems, however challenging and worthy of sympathy, are its' own and not America's. Americans who put another nations' problems on par with their own country's at minimum insult and degrade their fellow citizens.
Occam's Tool| 3.28.11 @ 11:39PM
Israel, SW, is the buffer state against Islamic terrorist scum that want to kill us too. Getting rid of it in this war is like abandoning GB in WWII.
RCV| 3.29.11 @ 12:22PM
Weasel's comments sound exactly like the speeches of America Firsters before WWII telling us that Europe's problems were their own, and we shouldn't worry about what Hitler might do to other countries. That advice may have made some sense in George Washington's day, when America was isolated from most of the rest of the world by oceans on either side. In the interdependent world of the 21st century, however, such a view is foolishly myopic.
We will stand with and defend Israel for many reasons, only one of which Occam so rightly notes.
John| 3.28.11 @ 7:40PM
Spoken like a true patriot.
Occam's Tool| 3.28.11 @ 11:39PM
Spoken like a true Terrorist Boof, John.
Intelligent Design| 3.28.11 @ 8:39PM
Over the past five years Muslim terrorists have launched about 8,000 rockets and mortars against Israel from Gaza, which Hamas controls. Instead of giving aid to Libyan rebels with ties to al Qaeda, the U.S. should be giving assistance to Israel to kill the Hamas terrorists. The House should impeach Obama for treason based on his giving military assistance to the Libyan rebels.
RCV| 3.29.11 @ 12:24PM
We have been, and will continue to give, millions in aid to our ally Israel. But intervening in Libya against the man who has repeatedly murdered Americans in addition to terrorizing his own citizens was entirely right.
Occam's Tool| 4.2.11 @ 1:54AM
Can't argue with you on Libya, RCV. Don't really want to. One caveat, though---we need to make sure we aren't replacing Q with something WORSE. That seems to be quite possible. That's my reason for caution.
That, and the fact that Obama has not mastered the KISS doctrine, which is an iron rule in military operations: Keep it Simple, Stupid. I worry about that, too.
All that being said, I want our Commander in Chief to win this one.
YJ Draiman | 4.3.11 @ 12:06AM
“Israel’s Disproportionate Restraint.”
Israel is guilty of anything it’s of disproportionate restraint.
Israel has the right and obligation to defend its citizens
The brutal slaughter of a family of 5 in Itamar just shows that we are dealing with a barbaric mentality.
Add to it the bomb at a bus stop in Jerusalem.
The daily launching of rockets from Gaza against civilian population and schools.
No country and government that cares about its citizens would tolerate such atrocities.
Terror should be handled in the following manner. When a poison strikes the human body, the only way to address it, is to remove it and destroy it completely.
It is a known fact that any country if attacked, its citizens kidnapped, rocket bombardment on a daily basis.
Has the right and obligation to defend its citizens.
It is sad that innocent civilians are hurt, but that is the cost of war and conflict.
Any government and its citizen who do not resist terrorism and let terrorist organization entrench themselves in their country and utilize those countries as bases of armed terrorism against a neighboring country. Eventually pays the price for permitting such actions.
If you gave the Arab population a vote in Israel and the west bank and Jerusalem the option to vote freely and without intimidation, you would find out, that they would rather be living under Israel’s government. They derive more stability more benefits, pensions, welfare, etc.
If the United States or any other government were to be attacked from across the border on a daily basis, have its citizens kidnapped, rockets launched at them on a daily basis, the citizens would demand that immediate military action be initiated with no holds barred, collateral damage or not. That is the fact of life.
Terrorist and those who support them do not know what peace is, they thrive on violence. That is the only way they control the masses. Any negotiations or compromise only strengthen those terrorist organizations. When a poison strikes the human body, the only way to address it, is to remove it and destroy it completely.
There is no such thing as a “disproportioned response to terror.”
Our problem today is “Israel’s Disproportionate Restraint.”
This puts Israel and its citizens in grave danger.
That is the way the terrorist organizations should be treated.
“Like all sovereign nations, Israel has not only a right, but moreover, an obligation, to ensure the safety and security of her citizens”.
As quoted in a statement “the only time of a chance for peace is, when the Arab mother would love her children more than she hates the Israelis.
The big mistake is that people are missing the economic benefits for Israel and its neighbors. That is if there was a true peace, you take the Israeli Technology and know how, add to it the Arab labor and natural resources – and you have an economic prosperity beyond your widest dreams.
The Qur'an 17:104 - states the land belongs to the Jewish people
Every time there is a terrorist act, Israel should vacate an Arab village and raze it.
YJ Draiman
Creative Recreation | 8.10.11 @ 11:21PM
is good