A possible answer to the Qassam rockets?

[sharonbn]

Experiment: Cannon successful in intercepting Qassam

A swift cannon developed in the United States managed to intercept replicas of Qassam rockets during an experiment designed to test its ability to operate on the Gaza border.

The anti-Qasam system is developed by an American company, Lockheed Martin, which also manufactures F-16 jets, and was named Sky Shield. The system was based on radars and two swift cannons with a firing rate reaching up to a thousand shells a minute.

According to company sources, the cannon succeeded in smashing the combat head of the Qassam rocket replica during an experiment. The experiment took place on land, although the company claimed that the system proved capable of intercepting rockets in the air.

One Sky Shield system costs about USD 15 million. At least four systems would be needed in order to protect a town like Sderot. The main advantage of the system is its availability.

Lockheed Martin asserted the system could be used in Sderot within a few months time.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...334401,00.html

[AnotherAlly]

You know the Palestinians will complain and consider it a threat, even if it is only a defensive measure.

It's in their nature to complain about Israelis trying to protect their citizens...

[sharonbn]

I don't care about the Palestinian response. as long as their rockets will no longer be able to hit Israelis.

[Roland]

The technology is not new. All the big ships in a modern navy have Close-In Weapon Systems. We even had a thread about them. Laser-Weapons and stuff.
So they have a bigger gun now.
But Israel won't buy them.
Israel's gov't thinks to have a political advantage with undefended cities. Otherwise areas like Sderot would have had CIWS for ages. "How many kassams did we count last year alone? So many? No, no, not enough for building a defence system. Israeli citizens are not worth that effort or money."

[MGB8]

The technology is not new. All the big ships in a modern navy have Close-In Weapon Systems. We even had a thread about them. Laser-Weapons and stuff.
So they have a bigger gun now.
But Israel won't buy them.
Israel's gov't thinks to have a political advantage with undefended cities. Otherwise areas like Sderot would have had CIWS for ages. "How many kassams did we count last year alone? So many? No, no, not enough for building a defence system. Israeli citizens are not worth that effort or money."

Really?

Just like Israel doesn't produce Arrow anti rocket systems, or anti missle systems for ships?

You are sick, Roland, your statement was pure anti-semitism - Jew-hatred. Jews will let Jews die for political (and monetary) gain.

[KettleWhistle]

I agree with Roland. The government here simply doesn't care how many people are dying in Sderot. The development of such defense system, Nautilus, was cancelled by the Israeli govenment several years ago.

[Mediocrates]

CIWS is pretty fragile too. The units in Iraq break down often. Plus Israel would have lots of political fallout from hurling thousands of 20mm rounds into Gaza. Curiously the Mk15 M61A1 guns carry ony 1500 rounds but have a fire rate of 4500 rounds per minute. So they exhaust in 20 sec of continuous firing. But in practice they only fire 60-100 rounds at a time, about 1 - 1.3 seconds of fire. Otherwise they tend to jam. On the upside they have a 90-95% kill rate close in (<300m).


What does Lockeed have to do with it? Skyshield is a Swiss-German built system from (Oerlikon) Rheinmetall. I think Lockeed has been contacted to do the testing and tweaking of someone else's gear. The intended modifications are to change the rounds to airburst type so that each 35mm round explodes near an inbound and shreds it.

You will note that THEL and M-THEL were killed off already. The hope of mobile ground based lasers to shoot down rockets is gone. They couldn't get it small enough and after $250 million, 80% by the US, they pulled the plug.

[Womble]

You will note that THEL and M-THEL were killed off already. The hope of mobile ground based lasers to shoot down rockets is gone. They couldn't get it small enough and after $250 million, 80% by the US, they pulled the plug.

THEL was killed off a few years ago, and mostly due to the Israeli government's stupidity. There's been talk about reactivating it now, but the Ministry of Defence was inclined towards some kind of new Israeli system combining a laser and some kind of mini-interceptor missiles, because apparently the THEL is too problematic environmentally.

Skyguard souds good, the question is how big an area they are capable of covering.

[Mira]

Really?

Just like Israel doesn't produce Arrow anti rocket systems, or anti missle systems for ships?

You are sick, Roland, your statement was pure anti-semitism - Jew-hatred. Jews will let Jews die for political (and monetary) gain.

Oh come on, MGB8. Roland is as much an anti-semite as you are.

[Yala]

Really?

Just like Israel doesn't produce Arrow anti rocket systems, or anti missle systems for ships?

You are sick, Roland, your statement was pure anti-semitism - Jew-hatred. Jews will let Jews die for political (and monetary) gain.

I'm sorry but I agree with Roland as well. I think the Israeli gov't does allow Jews to bleed to use as political leverage. Not as much as Palestinians by a long shot but I'm sure they could've secured Sderot a lot more than they have. This Israeli gov't does not really care about Jews, not enough anyway, so lets be honest. And it's not "anti-Semitic" to say that, it's the truth. Most of the Israeli gov't are corrupt opportunists. They are part of the problem, not the solution.

See the thing about Sharon was that even though he was corrupt I believe that he genuinely cared about Israel and her future. Someone like Olmert, who has not even shown his own kids how to love Israel, will not be able to prove to other Israelis how great the country is and how great it can be.

[farmall]

The problem with defensive systems is that they are cheap to counter. Overwhelming them with a barrage of rockets would be easy enough.

The only way to suppress rocket attacks is to destroy the people launching them, or they will "shoot and scoot" to stay in the fight.

[Arjunn]

i think a system similar to the CIWS but based on the "Metalstorm" concept would be very viable and cost effective

[Roland]

Thank you for your comments

The problem with defensive systems is that they are cheap to counter. Overwhelming them with a barrage of rockets would be easy enough.

The the use of a CIWS would be primarily a last ditch protection right outside Sderot city limits.
The barrage the palestinians would have to fire just to hit anything once might buy the IDF enough time to answer it, or at least raise the risk of getting spotted in time.
The political attention alone would be worth the try.
If I would want to win an election in Israel, I'd buy those toys and try. Let it be barrage-overwhelmed or jammed on every fired round every day.
All I would need was one single successfully intercepted life kassam.

You are sick, Roland, your statement was pure anti-semitism - Jew-hatred. Jews will let Jews die for political (and monetary) gain.

No, I am not and neither was my statement. My accusation is serious. You are telling me leaving Sderot undefended against kassams is not political and monetarian? Sick is only your kneejerk-reflex.
The ineffectivity of IDF against the daily kassams is startling and unacceptable. And there really is a monetary factor in it.
Who would care about another billion $$ when you could silence the kassam threat once and for all? Israel didn't even need Gaza, so WHAT?
Maybe, a working Nautilus-THEL defence would change too much? If Israel would become immune against kassams tonight - what would change in the policital Israel tomorrow?
Oh - and with enough THEL installations Israel might even become immune to any attack - even immune to Iran's nuclear threat ...

[Arjunn]

i think a system similar to the CIWS but based on the "Metalstorm" concept would be very viable and cost effective

more on the above mentioned weapons system
http://www.metalstorm.com/