WarSclerotic

Israel, concerned about Iran’s nuclear program , fast-tracks its Arrow III development – Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper.

Defense journal report shows plans to install four underground missile launchers at IAF’s Tel Shahar base between Jerusalem and Ashdod; Israel has never officially revealed location of this base.

By Gili Cohen | Jun.03, 2013 | 4:35 PM | 5

An Arrow missile is launched during a test from an undisclosed location in Israel April 7, 2009. Photo by Reuters

Concerned about nuclear threats from Iran, Israel is trying to expedite development of the Arrow III missile to make sure it is prepared for any eventuality, an Israel Defense Forces officer involved in anti-missile defense system development told a security conference on Monday.

“We want to reach a situation in which Israel has a ready defense for any threat, present or future,” said Col. Aviram Hasson, head of the high-level systems department in the Defense Ministry’s Homa Administration, which is responsible for developing anti-missile systems. He was speaking at a conference on “Aerial Threats in the Modern Era,” sponsored by the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University.

The Arrow III is capable of intercepting missiles outside the atmosphere, at a range of up to 2,500 kilometers, and will maneuver to chase after the target missile. The system is aimed at defending against missiles bearing warheads of mass destruction in general, and in particular, those in Iran’s stockpile.

In February Israel conducted its first test of the Arrow III’s capabilities in space. The Arrow III’s interceptor missile, called Reshef, is smaller than that of the Arrow II, the air force’s current system, and this is a significant improvement over its currently deployed predecessor. The missile, which is still in development, is fired out of the atmosphere, where it performs various maneuvers and chases after the target – a long-range enemy missile. It broadcasts continuously to the ground systems throughout its operation.

According to Hasson, if the previous Arrow versions had interception capabilities within a certain range, the Arrow III’s capability has been considerably broadened.

“It enables the interception of threats that are very far away, and essentially widens the range of operation,” Hasson said.

The interceptor missile can be fired from the launch systems the IDF already has, which lowers the cost of the system considerably. Defense officials say that the moment the Reshef missiles become operational, in an estimated three years, there will be no need to manufacture anything else that’s new. All that will be needed is to make adjustments to the computer program that operates the Arrow system.

Jane’s Defence Weekly magazine recently published a story showing how official U.S. publications reveal plans to construct a secret Israel missile base designated for the Arrow III. According to the story, this is part of an Israel Air Force plan to expand an existing facility in Tel Shahar, between Jerusalem and Ashdod, whose location has never been officially revealed.

The estimated cost of this expansion is $25 million. The report detailed the construction plans: Four underground missile launchers, each carrying six interceptors (Reshef model). The report said this information means that Israel can potentially launch 24 Arrow III interceptors against a barrage of ballistic missiles.

The report on a construction tender documents published by the U.S. government details the the type of building that will be built in Israel, which includes highly durable concrete structures, blast doors and steel screens. A system to handle high pressure levels will also be built inside the structures, enabling the electrical components to be protected. According to the documents, the companies responsible for building the basis will have to complete the work within 485 days of the moment they receive the go ahead to begin.

First on CNN: U.S. to send Patriot missile battery, fighter jets to Jordan as part of exercise – CNN Security Clearance – CNN.com Blogs.

( HMmmmm……  – JW {Thanks, Dave} )

Iraq warns Israel against using its airspace to strike Iran | JPost | Israel News.

Former IDF intelligence chief: Heavy Israeli strike would topple Assad regime – Diplomacy & Defense – Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper.

Amos Yadlin says any attack by Iran ‘would be measured and calculated, so the chances it would lead to a regional war aren’t very high.’

Former Military Intellience chief Amos Yadlin Photo by Alon Ron

Former Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin said Sunday that if Israel used all its power to strike Syria it would put an end to President Bashar Assad‘s regime.

Maj. Gen. (res.) Yadlin was responding to Assad’s interview with Lebanon’s Al-Manar TV, where the Syrian leader said he would respond to any future Israeli strike on his country.

“Assad was very belligerent in his interview with Al-Manar and said he’s being pressured to open a front in the Golan Heights, but he didn’t say he’d actually do it,” Yadlin said on the website of the Institute for National Security Studies, which he heads.

He added that the response to any strikes Assad thought were carried out by the Israel Defense Forces could be symbolic – such as mortar fire or small-arms fire at IDF patrols, or terror attacks abroad or operations by Syrian terror organizations.

“We can learn by the experience of the past three months, but I’ve said that the fact that there was no reaction the last two times can’t teach us anything about the next time,” Yadlin said.

“The more massive his reaction, the more he risks a scenario he isn’t interested in – international intervention. He doesn’t want Israel to react with all its power, knowing that this would be the end of his regime.”

The website’s readers asked Yadlin about the events in Syria, Lebanon and Iran. “Israel’s strategic situation will be better after the end of the Assad era,” he said, adding that his preferred scenario was a victory of the secular opposition that “would rebuild Syria.”

Yadlin also spoke about the $900 million deal in which Russia would sell Syria advanced S-300 air-defense missiles.

“The Russians insist on supporting Assad because he’s their last stronghold in the Middle East,” Yadlin said. “They’re trying to reposition themselves as a world superpower. They see Syria as a last stronghold, a place they won’t budge from.”

Asked about the possible deterioration in Russian-Israeli ties if Israel attacked the missiles, Yadlin said this would depend on the timing. “If Israel attacked a Russian navy ship unloading the missiles at the port of Latakia, such a deterioration would be expected,” he said.

But he said he didn’t  think this would happen and that a possible Israeli strike against the missiles would only take place after they were in Syrian hands.

Yadlin said the system was “very advanced, developed, large and accurate,” but the chances it would reach Hezbollah were “very low” because it “strategically has no need for such missiles.”

Yadlin reiterated his position on Iran’s nuclear program, saying that “for all practical purposes, the Iranians have already gone beyond the prime minister’s red lines.”

Asked about Iran’s possible reaction to an Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities, he said “Iranians, as opposed to Sadam Hussein or Assad in 2007, would not be surprised if they got up in the morning and read that they had been attacked.”

According to Yadlin, “There would be an Iranian response, but it would be measured and calculated, so the chances it would lead to a regional war aren’t very high. They would be the first to be set on fire if the whole Middle East were set on fire. They would be the first to be hit in a very significant way in the event of a regional war.”