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Last update - 16:10 14/02/2008
Ballistic expert: Israel ignoring option of U.S. anti-rocket system
By Yossi Melman, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Iron Dome, Israel, Qassam 

Dr. Nathan Farber is a ballistic expert who has been persistently trying, to no avail, to present to the Defense Ministry what he sees as a possibly imminent solution to Qassam fire from Gaza.

Farber's suggestion is to deploy American artillery batteries called Phalanx around the Qassam-battered town of Sderot, to intercept the rockets fired by Palestinians.

The U.S. army has been successfully operating the system in Iraq, where it provides its bases with protection from rockets and mortar shells. Canada is also considering deploying it in Afghanistan.
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Farber told Haaretz his suggestion should not be rejected out of hand. He said that the system could be tested with a budget of no more than $1 million, even in the "battlefield" itself, by deploying one or two Phalanx batteries near Sderot.

But for some reason the Defense Ministry maintains his suggestion is impracticable, although it has never been tested.

Farber is not an eccentric - his credentials include vast knowledge of and experience in shells and ballistics. He is an accredited aeronautical engineer, a lecturer at the Technion, Israel's Institute of Technology, and a veteran of the Israel Military Industries (IMI).

When his tenure as the IMI missile department's chief scientist ended, he worked as an advisor to the Israel Air Force and the American Missile Defense Administration. Previously, he had been an IAF anti-aircraft officer and later senior intelligence officer.

The Phalanx anti-aircraft artillery system, manufactured by the American Reytheon company, was initially developed for battleships.

A Phalanx battery includes four 20mm-wide shells and radar that tracks the missile, assesses its trajectory and intercepts it from a range of up to a 1.5 km.

Unlike any other system, Phalanx is capable of firing up to 6,000 shells per minute, which are twice as fast as a Qassam rocket (with a speed of more than a kilometer per second). As of today, the system is installed in some IDF battleships.

Farber claims that five batteries will adequately cover the western Negev, and will not cause environmental damage. "Because of their exceptionally high speed, the shells that don't hit Qassams will land in the sea," he said, "although the chances of a direct hit are high."

For years the security establishment has stymied any initiative to develop short- and medium-range missile interception systems, claiming they were wasteful and of questionable efficiency.

Even after the Second Lebanon War, during which the missile threat on Israel's home front materialized, the Defense Ministry remained resolute. An expert panel, headed by then Defense Ministry director general Gaby Ashkenazi (the incumbent Chief of Staff), was eventually set up, following pressure exerted by then defense minister Amir Peretz.

The panel decided to commission Rafael Arms Development Authority to develop two interception systems: Iron Dome, for short-range rockets (like Qassams and Katyushas) and Magic Wand for long-range missiles (up to 200 km), to be developed in conjunction with Reytheon.

A shadow of malpractice was cast on the decision to allocate a development budget of over NIS 1 billion to Rafael, as one of the panel members, Yedidya Yaari, was the former managing director of the authority.

The problem remains that Iron Dome will be operative within three years at the earliest.

"Why not deploy Phalanx batteries in the meanwhile, and protect the residents of Sderot?" asks Farber.

"It will be cheaper, no less efficient, and above all provide immediate protection. If it's good enough for the Americans in Iraq, why can't it be good for us?"

The Defense Ministry provided no definite answer as to why Farber's suggestion hasn't been considered.

A spokesman said that "while the development of Iron Dome is underway, the security establishment continues to consider other options, including the American LUWD system. So far, we haven't found a system that meets our demands, but we continue to look into newly developed as well as existing systems."

Former deputy defense minister Ephraim Sneh said that the Ashkenazi Commission considered every available option and made its decision on a "purely professional basis. The allegations that financial motives were at issue are malicious."

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      1.   Very Strange Why No Defence System 13:42  |  Phil 14/02/08
      2.   The citizen says, obviously not enough grease... 13:57  |  Joe Sittizen 14/02/08
      3.   Article full of errors and inaccuracies 14:09  |  Axel 14/02/08
      4.   Not so strange when Americans die due to 14:15  |  Petra 14/02/08
      5.   Not surprising - Sephardim seem more expendable 14:16  |  Sephardi 14/02/08
      6.   It is not strange Phil 14:17  |  Dror 14/02/08
      7.   Why Bother? 14:18  |  Bill Foonman 14/02/08
      8.   Olmert scared Phalanx projectiles`d hit precious pals 14:43  |  Absolute Sweden 14/02/08
      9.   1.5 km range doesn`t protect 14:44  |  MOSHE 14/02/08
      10.   Typical Israeli stubborness 14:45  |  Josh 14/02/08
      11.   Israel`s reluctance to engage 14:46  |  dropoutguy 14/02/08
      12.   A system I suggested last week 14:48  |  Chris Linthwaite 14/02/08
      13.   Petra. Not so amazing really #4 14:49  |  examiner 14/02/08
      14.   THE ROYAL NAVY CRACKED IT IN 1982 14:57  |  Ian 14/02/08
      15.   nothing will happen until some Govt. member bribed 15:02  |  bribe somebody 14/02/08
      16.   "Chris" Yoýne Lintwit,it served Brit colonial interests to be V2 15:08  |  Absolute Sweden 14/02/08
      17.   How about the ""option"" of wiping out Hamas? 15:30  |  A.Dolt 14/02/08
      18.   we DEMAND an explanation from the IDF 15:33  |  read #14 (Ian) 14/02/08
      19.   Israel likes the Rockets 15:46  |  Sidney 14/02/08
      20.   On the Royal Navy and Exocets # 14 15:46  |  Clickfool 14/02/08
      21.   Why is this strange? Olmert is dumb & Barak is a moron. 15:47  |  Gary A., MD 14/02/08
      22.   Alex one question? 15:51  |  Gabriel 14/02/08
      23.   Total False Hope 16:02  |  Stan 14/02/08
      24.   Advice for Absolute Sweden # 15 16:03  |  Clickfool 14/02/08
      25.   Stupid Israeli defense establishment 16:14  |  Dror 14/02/08
      26.   Uranium 16:17  |  Leib Heller 14/02/08
      27.   ashkenazi more white than shephardi. 16:18  |  bozhidar balkas 14/02/08
      28.   Ballistic expert 16:22  |  Mary 14/02/08
      29.   A Worthless System That So Far Has Only Managed 16:30  |  Eli 14/02/08
      30.   response #3 16:38  |  tps 14/02/08
      31.   Malfeasance & corruption continue among the KROOKS... 16:38  |  bat yam 14/02/08
      32.   Please don`t tell me what to do. I know what is best for Israel. 16:46  |  ehud olmert 14/02/08
      33.   Debris, Moshe 16:48  |  Dror 14/02/08
      34.   #23 Haaretz allows this anti-Semitic crap? 17:00  |  Moshe 14/02/08
      35.   Dror Shalom_Don`t Be Quick To Condemn! 17:04  |  Eli 14/02/08
      36.   #15 Absolute Swede 17:04  |  Chris Linthwaite 14/02/08
      37.   #19 Stan 17:07  |  Chris Linthwaite 14/02/08
      38.   here`s what I found 17:09  |  Harry 14/02/08
      39.   Eli of Berkeley 17:10  |  Chris Linthwaite 14/02/08
      40.   This guy doesn`t have a clue 17:10  |  Mark Lincoln 14/02/08
      41.   response to #22  17:11  |  tps 14/02/08
      42.   Israel should use it 17:11  |  Brod 14/02/08
      43.   Not so fast my friend 17:12  |  Lee Corso 14/02/08
      44.   Sderot perimeter is not that big an area 17:13  |  Dror 14/02/08
      45.   20clickidiot-"...Time to take your little yellow tablets..." 17:16  |  there is always hope 14/02/08
      46.   Why? 17:17  |  Al 14/02/08
      47.   What is this? 17:18  |  Dror 14/02/08
      48.   Not an option - could cause more injuries than qassams 17:19  |  Free Gilad Shalit 14/02/08
      49.   Read #19 17:19  |  Gili 14/02/08
      50.   Yes its called a sense of reality. Dolt! 17:19  |  Al 14/02/08
      51.   TO PHIL #1 17:22  |  Steve Beikirch 14/02/08
      52.   # 18 gabriel 17:25  |  Axel 14/02/08
      53.   Israeli corporate government as bad as america`s corporate govt. 17:27  |  Dror 14/02/08
      54.   # 22 leib heller 17:29  |  Axel 14/02/08
      55.   Don`t expect a running buffalo to hit a bee! 17:34  |  The Archives 14/02/08
      56.   Better Would Be THEL 17:40  |  Jeff Northridge 14/02/08
      57.   crystal clear 17:43  |  Space 14/02/08
      58.   Gabriel 17:51  |  ODP1 14/02/08
      59.   No game this... 17:54  |  Esther 14/02/08
      60.   Phalanx 18:02  |  Ron 14/02/08
      61.   Enough of "Phalanx" silliness! System is useless against kassams 18:05  |  Dr. L. Brnd 14/02/08
      62.   # 26 18:13  |  Axel 14/02/08
      63.   28 Jeff you forgot to mention that... 18:15  |  bat yam 14/02/08
      64.   O Yes Haaretz the PHALANX 18:31  |  Gil 14/02/08
      65.   IDF is arrogant 18:33  |  David 14/02/08
      66.   anti-rocket ability? 18:37  |  H.H.M 14/02/08
      67.   Anti-Rocket System 18:37  |  P. J. Casey 14/02/08
      68.   Sderot residents will not be guinea-pigs in testing such flawed d 18:42  |  Free Gilad Shalit 14/02/08
      69.   Chris Linthwaite and idiotic claims 18:52  |  Free Gilad Shalit 14/02/08
      70.   The limitations of point defense systems 19:16  |  Voice of Reason 14/02/08
      71.