Blog

Israel, faced with missile threats from Iran, has increased production of Arrow missile interceptors “significantly.” (Source)

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said, “We will need to expand our arsenal of Arrow interceptors” which are capable of intercepting Iranian, Syrian Shihab, and Scud missiles. Israel’s air force also is upgrading existing Arrow interceptors to the new Arrow II missile system.

Earlier this month, Israel reported intercepting a ship that left Iran bound for Hezbollah carrying missiles, rockets, anti-tank weapons. Barak said the seizing was “another success against the relentless attempts to smuggle weapons to bolster terrorist elements threatening Israel’s security,” and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the weapons were “intended to hit Israeli cities.”

Israel and the U.S. recently conducted a joint missile defense exercise that simulated a response to an attack by the Islamic Republic, Syria, and Hezbollah. Among the systems tested were the Arrow II, THAAD, Aegis, and PAC-3. The Iron Dome is an anti-rocket shield designed to defend Israel from Hamas and Hezbollah rockets. The U.S. and Israel are working together to develop the Arrow III system to destroy multiple-warhead missiles and decoys.

Israel reported intercepting a ship that left Iran bound for Hezbollah carrying missiles, rockets, anti-tank weapons.

The ship had the appearance of an aid vessel, and the crew and chartering company claimed not to know what was on board. Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the seizing was “another success against the relentless attempts to smuggle weapons to bolster terrorist elements threatening Israel’s security,” and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the weapons were “intended to hit Israeli cities.”

Almost eight years ago, Israel intercepted a ship carrying weapons to Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

The U.S. and Israel recently conducted two joint missile drills, Juniper Cobra. The most recent drill was a simulated response to an attack by the Islamic Republic, Syria, and Hezbollah. Among the systems tested were the Arrow II, THAAD, Aegis, and PAC-3. Israel’s Iron Dome is an anti-rocket shield designed to defend Israel from Hamas and Hezbollah rockets and also serves as a major component in a multi-layered missile defense system. The U.S. and Israel are working together to develop Arrow III, designed to destroy multiple-warhead missiles and decoys.

Eli Shaked, former Israeli ambassador to Egypt, said this about Hamas and Hezbollah:

“The situation is becoming more and more complex because the weapons they are acquiring are more and more dangerous to civilian targets in Israel.”

(Story source: Associated Press – Image source: GlobalSecurity.org)

 
Israel reported that Palestinian rebels successfully test-fired an Iranian rocket that can reach Tel Aviv. Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin said the rocket’s range is 37 miles, eight miles longer than the Grad used by Hamas. This summer, Israel’s Iron Dome system intercepted and destroyed a short-range Grad rocket, similar to the Katyusha rocket used by the Lebanese Hezbollah militia. (Source)

Israel is in Iran’s sights, and the rogue state’s development of short-range rockets, coupled with longer-range Shehab and Sajjil missiles, puts Israel in a dangerous position. As mentioned in the previous post, Israel has been testing the Arrow II, THAAD, Aegis, and PAC-3 and working to improve its Iron Dome anti-rocket shield.

Defense contractor Raytheon recently won two contracts worth over $100 million to develop Israel’s David’s Sling Weapons System. Mike Booen of Raytheon said, “Large-caliber rockets and short-range ballistic missile threats are inexpensive, plentiful, easily concealed and largely exempt from international arms control accords. Stunner [interceptor] offers a near-term and affordable solution to this asymmetric threat.” counter short-range ballistic missiles, large-caliber rockets and cruise missiles in their terminal phase of flight.

 
On the heels of conducing a joint missile defense exercise – which simulated a response to an attack by the Islamic Republic, Syria, and Hezbollah – Israel and the U.S. will conduct another today. (Source)

As part of a biennial exercise between the two countries, this drill, also called Juniper Cobra, is dubbed the “largest-ever” simulated attack on Israel. Testing air defenses, the drill will assess Arrow, THAAD, Aegis, Patriot, and Hawk defense systems. News source Yediot Aharonot noted that the “working assumption upon which the exercise is based is that the United States, in the event of a war, will provide Israel with missile defence systems that will operate alongside” the Arrow II.

The Arrow II is part of Israel’s Iron Dome, an anti-rocket shield designed to defend Israel from Hamas and Hezbollah rockets and also serves as a major component in a multi-layered missile defense system.

 
>> The Navy awarded defense contractor Raytheon $7.7 million to provide services for the Rolling Airframe Missile Guided Missile Weapon System, expected to be completed by August 2011. The missile defense system is designed to provide anti-ship missile defense for multiple ship platforms. (MoneyCentral)

>> The Air Force awarded defense contractor Lockheed Martin an $827.4 million contract to develop three C-130J, four HC-130J ,and four MC-130J aircraft. (Forbes)

>> The Theater High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) is an Army system designed to shoot down short- and medium-range ballistic missiles using a hit-to-kill approach. The Army began a second THAAD battery at Fort Bliss, Texas. The system successfully blocked its targets in a recent test-firing. (MDA – PDF)

 
As we mentioned in the previous post, Israel is shoring up its defenses. This week, Israel and the U.S. are conducting a joint missile defense exercise called Juniper Cobra, which will simulate response to an attack by the Islamic Republic, Syria, and Hezbollah. American soldiers and missile ships are in Israel to carry out the exercise. (Source)

Among the systems tested are the Arrow II, THAAD, Aegis, and PAC-3. Israel’s Iron Dome, an anti-rocket shield, is designed to defend Israel from Hamas and Hezbollah rockets and also serves as a major component in a multi-layered missile defense system that includes the Arrow II anti-ballistic missile shield. The U.S. and Israel are working together to develop Arrow III, designed to destroy multiple-warhead missiles and decoys.

As expected, Iran isn’t taking the news well. Iranian cleric Mojtaba Zolnour, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s representative in the Revolutionary Guard, said: “Should a single American or Zionist missile land in our country, before the dust settles, Iranian missiles will blow up the heart of Israel.”

Iran has always made big threats. It defies common sense that Iran expects Israel and the U.S. to complacently neglect such preparation and simply (or simple-mindedly) trust that the rogue state’s missile and nuclear ambitions are peaceful.

 
>>  The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report highlighting challenges to the U.S. establishing missile defense shields in Poland and the Czech Republic and recommendations on actions needed to implement the plans. For example, the GAO notes that neither country’s parliament has ratified the agreements, signed last year; and the Department of Defense hasn’t established roles and responsibilities of the main U.S. stakeholders for the missile defense shield sites. Among the GAO’s recommendations are:

“[T]he Secretary of Defense should direct MDA, the Army, and the Air Force to finalize the Overarching Memorandums of Agreement and element-specific annexes that detail the specific roles and responsibilities for the European sites and define the criteria that must be met before the transfer of those sites from MDA to the Army and Air Force.”

Download the 44-page report. (PDF).

>>  Aviation Week reports that the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) seeks to increase the range of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system. The booster is currently 14.5 inches long, and the MDA wants to increase it to 21 inches.

MDA’s THAAD project manager William Lamb said, “The concept behind the 21 inches is that it significantly increases the interceptor range, and by increasing range that significantly–three to four times–increases the defended area we have on the ground with the system.”

Additionally, a longer booster would give commanders more time to make the decision to fire at a target.

“It allows you to shoot one interceptor, assess whether or not you have killed the incoming reentry vehicle,” Lamb said, “and [possibly] precludes having to ripple-fire to launch several interceptors. So, you shoot, assess and then–if you didn’t get it–you would shoot again.”

>>  South Korea intends to launch its first space rocket this week. The $405-million Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 is on the launch pad at Naro Space Center and prepped for fueling. The launch has been delayed twice. (Source)

(Image source: Army Technology)

 
As part of a study into discarded disks, someone bought a disk on the online auction site eBay that contained launch procedures for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense ground-to-air missile defense system. (Source)

Who was responsible for the breach? Glenn Dardick, study researcher and associate professor of information systems at Longwood University in Virginia, said: “It could have been released by Lockheed, or a contractor of Lockheed — we don’t know. That’s where there will be an ongoing investigation to determine how this information got onto the open market.”

Dardick believes someone tried to reformat the disk to erase the information, but reformatting doesn’t completely erase the data. So why not simply destroy such disks? It also contained facility blueprints, security policies, and information on Lockheed Martin employees.

In all likelihood, there is more sensitive information available on eBay.

 
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has signed an agreement with U.S. defense contractor Raytheon for anti-aircraft missiles capable of being launched from the ground or air. (Media Line)

The UAE Air Force also will acquire Raytheon’s most advanced medium-range air-to-air missile as part of its effort to modernize defense technology. The UAE apparently is concerned about Iran’s weapons build-up and possible attacks if the U.S. and Iran escalate their conflict.

In other news, the U.S. Congress has cleared the way for the purchase of U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin’s Theater High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD). The UAE will buy the system for $6.9 billion. (Source)

Although the authorization process takes about 18 months, Lockheed spokesman Denis Cavin said, “We see no obstacle to meeting the timeline the UAE has asked us to meet.” From the article:

“The U.S. government is extremely cautious on releasing sensitive defense technology, and although some transfer might be granted, it was unlikely all would be released to the UAE, a U.S. executive said.”

*** Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Director Lt. Gen. Henry Obering is set to retire, ending his 35-year military career. Among his other accomplishments, Obering helped the National Reconnaissance Office secure an out-of-control spy satellite loaded with 1,000 pounds of toxic fuel. The office was concerned the fuel would kill people when the satellite landed. Using a missile interceptor, the agency shot down the satellite. (Source)

*** To protect itself against “possible missile attack,” Turkey intends to acquire eight missile defense systems, according to Murat Bayar, an undersecretary for Defense Ministry. The first target date is 2010. Turkey is negotiating with China, Israel, Russia, and the U.S. to obtain these systems. (Source)

*** An unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile launched successfully earlier this week, according to the U.S. Air Force. Traveling about 4,220 miles over the Pacific, the missile’s targets were close to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. (Source)

*** For the first time, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and Aegis radar systems worked together to destroy a warhead dummy target just below the 60-mile envelope of the earth’s atmosphere off the Hawaiian coast in June. According to MDA spokesman Rick Lehner, “THAAD radar was able to direct and cue the Aegis radar,” which was “very significant for the missile defense infrastructure to be able to pass along radar cues to other platforms like Aegis.” (Source)