Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) (TASE: ARSP.B1), and Imprest are working around the clock to provide a ninth battery of the Iron Dome interceptor system to the IDF air defense deployment in the next few days. According to the Israel air force procurement plan, this battery was scheduled for delivery only in March 2015. The massive rocket barrages fired at the Israeli home front, however, have caused production of the new battery to be expedited. During the past weekend, an eighth Iron Dome battery was already delivered to the air force, no less than four months ahead of the timetable for its supply and operation. Defense sources said that the two new batteries had better capabilities than the other Iron Dome batteries deployed around Israel.
The Iron Dome system has scored 90% success in intercepting rockets fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip that threaten populated areas. It is believed that the companies involved in Iron Dome production will deliver the 10th and last (at least for now) budgeted battery to the air force defense system in 2015.
To date, Israel has invested NIS 2 billion in the development and production of Iron Dome. The US administration has added two special budget allocations: $200 million for procurement of interceptor systems in 2011, to which the administration decided to add $680 million in 2012. Informed sources say that Israel has so far received $480 million of the second allocation, making a total of NIS 4.5 billion invested in Iron Dome as of now. This sum includes the procurement of the interceptor missiles by the Ministry of Defense, priced at $50,000-$100,000 per missile.
As part of the development and production process, Rafael and IAI engineers are upgrading its performance at frequent intervals. The hardware and software updates of the system have significantly lengthened the range for interception of rockets, the accuracy of the Tamir interceptor missiles, and the detection and analysis of the flight path of the missiles fired at Israel. They have also substantially enlarged the effective coverage area of each battery. Israel Missile Defense Organization director Yair Ramati said, "At the end of Operation Pillar of Defense, we learned our lessons. US aid was very helpful, and the Ministry of Defense doubled the production line. We entered Operation Protective Edge with a good number of interceptors. The defensive capabilities against the threats and their ranges have been greatly improved; as the threats have increased, our interception capability has improved in tandem, since the radar connected to the system has successfully dealt with them.
"Since the other side has improved his capabilities, while our interception rates have risen instead of falling, it can be assumed that we have handled the matter correctly. We won't achieve a 100% interception rate; that's in impossible expectation. To be in the neighborhood of 90%, where we are now, is very good," Ramat concluded.
Meanwhile, Rafael is carrying on with its development of an interception system for heavier rockets, called Magic Wand (David's Sling). US company Raytheon is also involved in this program. According to the plan, the first battery of this system will be delivered to IDF forces in 2015, after the system's development program has passed a series of interception tests in the field with a high success percentage.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on July 13, 2014
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