The Grad rocket threat against Israel has been a huge problem to the southern cities for years. They have landed in, on, and between buildings, as well as in empty areas. They’ve landed near schools, hospitals, and residences. So far, Israelis have been lucky: A Grad rocket has not landed on a building full of people and caused large numbers of death and injuries. But that is not for lack of trying.
Enter Iron Dome. It’s expensive—$25k per missile—but so far, it has worked perfectly to protect the residents of Ashdod and Ashkelon. Not a single Grad rocket harmed property or people in two Israeli cities this time around. The world is taking notice.
And so are Israel’s enemies. The rocket attacks grew in scope after Israel figured out how to stop most of the suicide bombings. Remember, in 2002, Palestinian terrorists were blowing themselves up sometimes as often as three times a day, on buses, in shopping centers, in hotel restaurants during Passover—the toll was horrific and the pace seemed unending. Israel responded with the security fence to make it harder to get into Israel, and stepped up developing intelligence on where the bombers were and where they were planning to strike. Israel perfected the art of assassinating high-ranking terrorists in their homes in Gaza, or driving from one place to another. Israeli drones patrol the sky now, looking for terrorist squads ready to launch rockets, but obviously, that isn’t enough. So Iron Dome was developed in Israel, by Israeli companies, with financial help from the U.S. The goal is to have all of Israel’s cities protected with an anti-missile shield.
Realistically, if Iran sets its proxy armies in Lebanon and Gaza free to fire hundreds or thousands of rockets per day at Israel, Iron Dome isn’t going to be able to keep up. Each battery costs $50 million. But for now, the Iranians and Hezbollah cannot be happy at all with the results of Israeli ingenuity.
If Israel comes up with a solution that thoroughly counters rocket attacks, the terrorists will have no recourse, and no power.
Game-changer.
It is the second-most significant invention to affect the Middle East. The only thing greater will be the day that an Israeli scientist perfects an alternative fuel that knocks the bottom out of the crude oil market. (And may I live to see that day.)
I think you’re an optimist, Meryl. When Hamas and Hizbullah decide to coordinate their missile attacks, I suspect that Iron Dome will be incapable of dealing with barrages involving hundreds of missiles at a time. Add mortars and conventional, field artillery, and Israel could be faced with an untenable situation. As I see it, the only possible solution would be a crippling, simultaneous attack on both Gaza and south Lebanon. You can imagine the reaction from the FCO and the State Department, not to mention the first golfer, himself. Unfortunately, such an attack, would also necessitate severely affecting Israel’s economy. This is not going to turn out well.
Yes, I’m an optimist, but I did point out that Iron Dome won’t be able to sustain a defense against hundreds of launches per day. The only answer to that is to have peace, or to bomb the shit out of the nation sending the bombs.
Although I maintain, again, that Israel should attack Iran if Lebanon attacks Israel again. Also Syria. Baby Assad would stop mighty quick if his own life was in danger.
The Phalanx defensive system has been available for many years and is now being deployed on the ground in classified “special” circumstances. The only issue is that unlike sea based units, ground based units fire bullets that if some miss their target, will come down with deadly force miles away on populated areas. At this point in time, the Gaza border is not yet a candidate for this system, but in the future may well be.
Laser technology is also in expedited development.
“The MK 15 Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS – pronounced “sea-whiz”) is a fast-reaction, rapid-fire 20-millimeter gun system that provides US Navy ships with a terminal defense against anti-ship missiles that have penetrated other fleet defenses.
The gun subsystem employs a gatling gun consisting of a rotating cluster of six barrels. The gatling gun fires a 20mm subcaliber sabot projectile using a heavy-metal (either tungsten or depleted uranium) 15mm penetrator surrounded by a plastic sabot and a light-weight metal pusher. The gatling gun fires 20mm ammunition at either 3,000 or 4,500 rounds-per-minute with a burst length of continuous, 60, or 100 rounds.”