Budget dispute keeps proven Israeli anti-missile and anti-mortar system in
mothballs

Dr. Aaron Lerner Date: 17 November 2008

Israel Radio's South Correspondent Nissim Keinan reported on Israel Radio's
early evening news magazine (around 17:45) today that a dispute between two
land arms of the IDF is preventing the operation of a system to destroy
Qassams and mortars - the cutting edge of defense technology.

"The system is not operated in the Gaza envelope area even though the
defense system purchased it as an intermediate solution until the
introduction to the field of the Iron Dome system.

The system was purchased for around $4 million which includes sophisticated
radar and a rocket launching system that can identify any suspicious
movement by terrorists and destroy them within second from the sky along
with their launchers.

The system was tried for the first time in September with great success.
According to the performance data, the system succeeds in destroying or
preventing some 80% of the firing of Qassam rockets and up to 100% of Grad
and mortar firing. The more complicated Grad and mortar launching systems
are such that by the time they are set up to launch they are already
destroyed from the sky.

Without revealing confidential details, the system was developed in Israel
and the army, that purchased it, has yet to train soldiers to operate it due
to a dispute over the miniscule sum of an 8 - 10 million shekel annual fee.
Because of this dispute the system is not in operation. The dispute is over
what budget should fund the operation of the system: the budget of the South
Command or the Land Forces Command.

Minister of Defense Ehud Barak declined to discuss the system when asked
during his visit to Sderot but said that the matter would be resolved
soon. .

The civilian company that developed the equipment has submitted to the army
an offer to operate the system. The system could already be running tomorrow
morning after the purchase of the required rockets at a cost of 16.9 million
shekel.This system can operate around the clock in all weather and visual
conditions covering large areas."

So far this report has not received much attention in Israel. The
assassination of an Israeli mobster has pushed most of the news aside.
Keinan's report is somewhat vague in that it cites two different costs:
8-10 million shekel annual operating cost and 16.9 million shekel for
rockets. In any case, the total cost involved is only a fraction of what is
being poured into reinforcing buildings in the Gaza envelope.

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(Mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
Website: http://www.imra.org.il