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Last update - 23:41 23/12/2007
Security cabinet okays funding for 'Iron Dome' rocket defense system
By Barak Ravid, Yuval Azoulay, and Mijal Grinberg, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Missile Attack, Home Front 

The security cabinet approved Sunday funding for the development of the "Iron Dome" rocket defense system, which is designed to intercept short- and medium-range rockets such as Qassams and Katyushas.

Developing the system is expected to cost NIS 811 million over the next five years. According to the defense establishment estimate, the first operational version of the system will be deployed in Sderot in two and a half years.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak told the cabinet that he is convinced that Israel should continue to fortify communities within rocket range, until the anti-rocket system is operational.
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Five Qassam rockets struck the western Negev on Sunday. One rocket hit a Carlsberg factory in the southern Ashkelon industrial zone, and caused light damage. Islamic Jihad announced that the range of the Qassam that hit the plant had been upgraded. The other four did not cause any damage.

Iron Dome, which is being developed by Rafael - the national authority for the development of weapons and military technology - is designed to locate the Qassam rocket within seconds of its launch using a combination of radar and the 'Color Red' rocket alert system.

The company said its teams are working "day and night" to make it operational by the first half of 2010.

According to project director Oron Uriel, a single system will be able to protect the entire city of Sderot from Qassam rockets.

Estimated at between $30,000-$40,000 per unit, the Tamir missile utilized by the system will intercept targets in midair and will be guided by two separate radar systems, one of which already exists and provides Sderot residents with early warnings of incoming rockets.

"The system's development plans has been fast-tracked without precedent. It is revolutionary on a global scale," Uriel said.

Initial tests using the system will be conducted in four months and its first simulated interception of a dummy target is slated to take place in early 2009. Rafael staff expects the system to be 95-percent accurate against Qassam rockets as well as Fajr missiles used by Hezbollah.

"So far, we've successfully intercepted drones, but not rockets and we're working on it," Uriel explained. "The rocket's trajectory is not hard to track, but is problematic because it may explode in midair."



Immediately after locating the incoming rocket, the ground-based system launches a faster missile designed to intercept the rocket at relatively high altitude, in order to minimize potential harm to civilians should the incoming rocket be armed with an unconventional warhead.

A special Defense Minsitry committee, which examined 14 proposed rocket defense systems, selected Iron Dome several months ago. It was subsequently approved both by Barak and his predecessor, Amir Peretz.

Each interceptor missile is expected to cost between $30,000 and $40,000. According to Rafael, the system will be able to approximate whether the rocket will strike, and will not intercept it if it is expected to hit an open area.

Barak told Haaretz in August that he believes Israel can only agree to a withdrawal of troops from the West Bank once it has a functioning rocket defense system in place.

Rafael is also developing a second missile defense system called "David's Sling," expected to be operational by 2011. When completed, the two systems will help lead Israel's line of defense against attacks by missile and rockets.

IDF to launch awareness campaign on missile defense
The Israel Defense Forces' Home Front Command will launch in coming days an awareness campaign for civilians on preparedness for the event of a missile attack on Israel.

The Home Front Command's central effort in the campaign, which is running the banner "Being prepared means being protected," will be mailing guidance booklets to every household in Israel. These will give detailed instructions on how people should defend themselves in case of a missile attack.

Emphasizing that the decision to launch the campaign "does not reflect any change in the security assessment or on any expected escalation," the IDF Spokesman's Office said in a statement released Sunday the project was decided upon long ago as part of the aftermath of the Second Lebanon War in 2006.

The campaign was supposed to take place during the summer months, but was then postponed following the Israel Air Force strike on Syria so as not to send a message to Syria that Israel was readying for war.

Information will be given in the guidance booklet regarding: Choosing a protected internal room or space; choosing a sealed room and preparing it; preparing a family emergency plan and equipment for the protected room and dealing with children, adults and people with special needs during an emergency.

People will be advised to equip themselves with plastic sheets, batteries, canned food and mineral water for use in the event of an attack.

The campaign will run in the media and also be accompanied by a study program in elementary schools.

In July, State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss released a scathing 582-page report on failures his office had found in the conduct of the top political and military echelons regarding the safeguarding of the civilian population in the home front during last summer's Second Lebanon War.

Since the war, the Home Front Command has reported a series of steps it has taken to improve services to civilians at times of emergency.


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      1.   Defense against the forces of irrationality 16:06  |  Brod 23/12/07
      2.   Compared to MTHEL.... 16:17  |  Awake 23/12/07
      3.   For the Censor again 16:21  |  Clickfool 23/12/07
      4.   Brod,1#, "ravenous wolves", nice description 16:23  |  Judah 23/12/07
      5.   Obtuse: 1000000 a day on interceptor missiles for 30 dolla kassam 16:24  |  Benjamin Agam 23/12/07
      6.   Jews on alert 16:24  |  dav zee 23/12/07
      7.   Irom Roofs, Concrete Walls 16:31  |  Fred Omran Locke 23/12/07
      8.   A Better # Cheaper way! 16:47  |  The Teacher/Instruct 23/12/07
      9.   lets see now...qassams cost how much to make? 17:08  |  economist 23/12/07
      10.   Dreams 17:11  |  Emad 23/12/07
      11.   Rocket Defense 17:16  |  Carolyn 23/12/07
      12.   Is there a price to a human life? 17:19  |  Gershom Alon 23/12/07
      13.   I have an idea. 17:22  |  Nephtaly 23/12/07
      14.   won`t work against mortars 17:48  |  Joey 23/12/07
      15.   "..relatively high altitude.."? "...unconventional warhead.."? 17:49  |  Dr. L. Brnd 23/12/07
      16.   what a stupid plan 18:13  |  proud joooooo 23/12/07
      17.   We would name it "Iran dome s day" , the next Israeli 18:24  |  Sal 23/12/07
      18.   Stupid Govt.get the Kasams on the ground,satalite+Mazlotim 18:46  |  sam 23/12/07
      19.   Its a good investment even just to deter Hezbollah and 18:55  |  Marwan مروان خوري 23/12/07
      20.   Cracking nuts by dropping televisions on them 19:01  |  Clickfool 23/12/07
      21.   that is the most ridiculous 19:08  |  Kris 23/12/07
      22.   Who Makes Money and Who is the Market? 19:17  |  ZADOK 23/12/07
      23.   economist 19:43  |  rich 23/12/07
      24.   Clickfoot, you are in over your head on this 19:45  |  Dan 23/12/07
      25.   I Told You So ! 19:52  |  Ghost of Gush Katif 23/12/07
      26.   22. its all US money and US technology 19:57  |  truth 23/12/07
      27.   Query... 19:58  |  Interested 23/12/07
      28.   For Dan # 24 20:25  |  Clickfool 23/12/07
      29.   Patriot missiles VS Scuds 20:56  |  Klaudia 23/12/07
      30.   Patriot Missiles Fall on Tel Aviv in 1991 ??? 21:06  |  Klaudia 23/12/07
      31.   Long term solution only 21:06  |  SM 23/12/07
      32.   The proper use of "Iron Dome" defense missiles... 21:21  |  Dr. L. Brnd 23/12/07
      33.   the ballons of london 21:21  |  mb 23/12/07
      34.   The (supposedly) Permament Arms Economy 21:21  |  Rowan Berkeley 23/12/07
      35.   The total bankruptcy of Dr L.Brnd`s thinking # 15 21:22  |  Clickfool 23/12/07
      36.   An entire e-book (in eng & hebr) on it 21:32  |  Rowan Berkeley 23/12/07
      37.   forget the 2 state or 3 state solutions ! 22:01  |  avigdor 23/12/07
      38.   Clickfool 22:27  |  Benny 23/12/07
      39.   Repeating mistakes of the past 22:28  |  MR 23/12/07
      40.   Again Clickfoot talk about `goodwill` is way over his head 22:48  |  Dan 23/12/07
      41.   chickfool, you act like Rush Limbaugh 22:52  |  George 23/12/07
      42.   Dan re Clickfool 23:06  |  Benny 23/12/07
      43.   Benny ref Clickfool 23:22  |  rich 23/12/07
      44.   Klaudia - forget the old propaganda 23:37  |  Mark Lincoln 23/12/07
      45.   Marwan - not a deterrent at all 23:44  |  Mark Lincoln 23/12/07
      46.   Nice art-work. Rockets bigger than trucks? 23:54  |  Sol 23/12/07
      47.   Just Don`t Shield Gaza 00:53  |  PK 24/12/07
      48.   Silly Censor 01:15  |  Mark Lincoln 24/12/07
      49.   West Bank rockets 01:33  |  Fred Locke 24/12/07
      50.   PK - but not Pk 01:46  |  Mark Lincoln 24/12/07
      51.   #35 Clickfool re DR l Brnd 01:51  |  Labhras 24/12/07
      52.   Repeating the mistakes of he past? - MR 01:58  |  Mark Lincoln 24/12/07
      53.   #45 Mark Lincoln. I agree that its not the best solution - its 02:05  |  Marwan مروان خوري 24/12/07
      54.   I agree Marwan 02:34  |  Mark Lincoln 24/12/07
      55.   Fred Locke 02:38  |  Mark Lincoln 24/12/07
      56.   Dumb Security Cabinet decision fiscal irresponsible 02:42  |  Gilbert 24/12/07
      57.   The woodhead/Barak, believes that almost entire Israeli... 02:47  |  Misha 24/12/07
      58.   Mark Lincoln # 50 03:05  |  American in NY 24/12/07
      59.   Why is this idea so hard to understand? 03:09  |  Rafterman 24/12/07
      60.   Labhras # 51 Peace Through Rocket Neutralization 03:26  |  Jeff Northridge 24/12/07
      61.   If Effective, It Will Get Worse 03:52  |  ZADOK 24/12/07
      62.   To Clickfool ? A magnificent year of Palestinian compromise 04:21  |  True Brit 24/12/07
      63.   Root Cause of Qassams 04:26  |  Gary 24/12/07
      64.   10 x 10 ROCKETS, LETS SEE HOW IT WORKS 04:59  |  indrajaya 24/12/07
      65.   Impressive Technology, but not the Right Solution 07:27  |  Efox 24/12/07
      66.   Indra`s stupid suggestion 07:46  |  Oddvark 24/12/07
      67.   $30,000 to $40,000 a pop? on top of initial cost? 08:52  |  eric 24/12/07
      68.   Offense (invasion) Best Defense not Missile 08:57  |  Mark Hamil 24/12/07
      69.   CFOOL The rocket scientist AND expert on the M.E. 10:20  |  PETER SM 24/12/07
      70.   For Mark Lincoln on yesterday`s Censor # 48 10:39  |  Clickfool 24/12/07
      71.   Efox prepares his justification for civilian slaughter # 65 10:44  |  Clickfool 24/12/07
      72.   re: Clickfool 04:44  |  Efox 28/12/07
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