Iron Dome is doing a Great job.

[Mannie 21]

Way to go Anti Aircraft units. I salute you.

The city of Ashkelon is targeted by Hamas, but now we have an answer for it.

(I know, no answer is perfect.)

Iron dome's first kills.

Iron Dome on Wiki

Edited April 8, 2011 by Mannie

[+Dave 2,322]

It saves lives and that you cant put a price on.

 

 

[Mannie 21]

It saves lives and that you cant put a price on.

 

It sure does Dave, it sure does. Thanks.

Update from last minute.

Another two rockets were shot down by Iron Dome unit.

Saw it live on channel 2 news.

Edited April 8, 2011 by Mannie

[JediMaster 451]

It saves lives and that you cant put a price on.

 

 

 

 

Apparently some can:

Tel Aviv University professor and noted military analyst Reuven Pedatzur argues that Iron Dome "is all a scam ... The flight-time of a Kassam rocket to Sderot is 14 seconds, while the time the Iron Dome needs to identify a target and fire is something like 15 seconds. This means it cannot defend against anything fired from fewer than five kilometers; but it probably couldn't defend against anything fired from 15 km (9 mi)., either." Pedatzur concludes that the massive disparity in the cost of the Iron Dome missiles ($100,000) and the typical Kassam rocket ($5) (his cost estimates) means that the Iron Dome "issue has no logic to it whatsoever."

[Mannie 21]

Well then, Mr' Pedazur must be wrong, couse Iron Dome is working and doing good. Very good so far.

[+Stary 2,427]

That's some great news my friend!

 

Stay safe Mannie!

[Mannie 21]

Thank you Mek buddy.

I'm taking cover under the bed, making sounds of a carpet.

[Nesher 628]

The Iron Dome is effective against longer range rockets than the Kassam

 

but can it can also shootdown mortars since their "flight time" to is much longer than a kassam

Edited April 9, 2011 by Nesher

[Siddley 9]

I hope it keeps you guys safe.

 

Israel forever !

[dsawan 624]

yeah, but they will eventually find a weakness and exploit it. That is why Skyguard will be better in the future. This system can be used outside of airports as well. See here:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyguard_(airport_defense_system)

[SopmodMikeFour 4]

It saves lives and that you cant put a price on.

 

Indeed

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

I've heard of Israeli anti~Katyusha missiles being worked on back in the 1990s. They finally got it. Occasionally I would wonder what was taking so long (never followed it).

 

dswan, will this alternatvie laser Skyguard thing work in heavy rain?

 

 

This Dome cost is very interesting. First, it could get more affordable in the future, mass production, manufacturing experience, improved designs, outsourcing labour, borrowing or raw paper/electronic money printing to cover the costs, etc...

 

Alternatively, I'm guessing Dome might could be limited to defend higher priority targets, much like the limited ABM systems of US and USSR were deployed to defend specific targets but not the entire population.

 

Jedi, a "scam" implies theft, and that is always a possibility, as war is a racket best defined as a few knowing what is going on and benefiting at the expense of the many. Maybe, perhaps, possibly.

 

The relative cost issue recalls the old argument about what is more expensive: ICBM or anti-ICBM and which can survive an exchange of attrition. On the other hand, if Dome is used in conjunction with traditional methods of reducing the total available terrorist rocket launchings, then maybe Dome can do functional protection at some affordable cost. I assume hiding Katyushas from the Israelis creates a very inefficient deployment, on top of the Gaza blockade -- thus lowering the total number available rockets that Dome needs to handle. Is this Correct Thinking?

[Nesher 628]

the blockade + air strikes against warehouses lower the count but it can always be lowered even more

cause the blockade is not a 100% thing, air strike aren't conducted on a regular bases

I saw an article on the news and it's doing a damn fantastic work, not 100% off course but still..

 

I don't remember hearing on a plan to create an anti-Katyusha system back in the 90's, the only counter rocket system in use in this region was the Patriot

the Iron Dome program started during the last decade in response of the firing to the southern cities of Israel bordering the Gaza strip

 

 

BTW, my big brother heard somewhere that in general the use of Iron Dome is more cost effective than letting the missile hit the ground

cause the damage outgrow the cost per unit to launch.

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

BTW, my big brother heard somewhere that in general the use of Iron Dome is more cost effective than letting the missile hit the ground cause the damage outgrow the cost per unit to launch.

Good point there.

[ezlead 42]

Someone should tell Mr. Pedatzur to spend a couple of months in the missile 'kill zone'.

Then ask him if it cost effective.

I'm sure his 'expert' opinion would change.

Anyway:It sounds like a winning anti-missile system to me.

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

Well

 

Yes ~n~ No

 

Missile Defense Systems Won't Protect Israel (Reuven Pedatzur, haaretz)

 

 

ezlead, I found the article, or an article. Pedatzur may be right, but in another sense. Here he is talking about an all up war, going far beyond Hamas, not the near constant low intensity rocket attacks from that mob.

 

Hate to say it, but US and USSR ABM systems had the same basic problem. Mirved ICBM warheads could eventually outlast any affordable ABM system. Of course there were other things going down there like decoys and perhaps previous high altitude blast effects.

 

If I recall, our recent attempts to sell an ABM system, Thaad I guess, are supposedly for use against a very limited sneak attack from, say, North Korea or whatever boogieman of the day, not for an all up war toetotoe with the Russkies. The same idea may be behind this Dome thing -- for use against the ever lasting but limited rocket attacks.

[JediMaster 451]

All ABM systems have been designed that way...to take out a small number of missiles in a limited attack. The Reagan-era idea of a "shield" to protect against any possible threat is just a fantasy because no one will ever pay for it.

 

The fact that Russia has always complained about it is pure theater because they know nothing we develop could possibly stop a determined attack. Unless they had a grand master plan that involved launching only 3 ICBMs out of their untold hordes, the US ABM system would likely cause slightly greater warhead loss than pure failures alone.

 

The only way an ABM system could be a true "shield" is if we had like 10 interceptors for every warhead out there, so if all launched at once we could fire 10x as many up to stop them.

 

Now a laser-based system is different, but we'd need almost as many of those to make sure they were in position to get them all because they have cycle times between firing.

[Nesher 628]