TEL AVIV Ñ Israel, playing down the Iraqi missile threat, doesn't
envision deploying additional Patriot anti-missile batteries from the United
States.
Israeli officials said the missile defense network of Arrow-2 and PAC-2
batteries is regarded as sufficient to defend against any Iraqi missile
strike. The officials said the addition of PAC-2 batteries would not
increase Israel's missile defense capabilities.
"We are well-equipped with what we have now," Defense Minister Binyamin
Ben-Eliezer said on Wednesday.
Ben-Eliezer told a conference of the Herzliya-based International Policy
Institute of Counter-Terrorism that Israel will deploy two Arrow-2
batteries. One battery south of Tel Aviv has been operational and the
military is preparing a second Arrow-2 site near the northern city of
Hadera.
Israel is said to have deployed PAC-2 batteries around such cities as
Arad, Eilat, Haifa and Tel Aviv. The batteries are said to be far more
effective in targeting enemy ballistic missiles than in 1991 Gulf war, with
the capability to distinguish between the warhead and other portions of the
missile.
Ben-Eliezer said Iraq's missile capabilities are not nearly as
significant as during the 1991 Gulf war. He said the United States would
seek to destroy Iraqi Al Hussein missile launchers deployed in western Iraq.
"We must not exaggerate the Iraqi threat," Ben-Eliezer said. "If Iraq is
looking to hit us, they first must pass the American obstacle. But the most
important point is that Israel is better prepared than ever for such a
threat."
Officials said the Defense Ministry has determined that the PAC-2 would
provide limited missile defense capability. They said the ministry would
consider an improved Patriot missile known as the PAC-2 Guided Enhancement
Missile, or GEM. The U.S. Army's Guided Enhancement Missile program called
for interim engineering improvement to the PAC-2 and called for 345 such
missiles for the service. The missile is produced by Raytheon Electronic
Systems, which rolled out its first GEM missile in 1995.
Last year, the Pentagon awarded Raytheon a $53 million contract to
supply upgrade kits for the Patriot radar. The upgrade was said to double
the power of the Patriot radar and improve its capability for target
discrimination.
The GEM missile, deployed by the U.S. Army, is fired from the PAC-2
launcher but is said to have improved interception capability. The PAC-2 was
used during the 1991 Gulf war.
"If we are talking about improved Patriots, then we will consider them."
Ben-Eliezer said.
A General Accounting Office report asserted that GEM was inadequate to
intercept unspecified short-range ballistic missiles and could not replace
the more advanced PAC-3 anti-missile system. The report said the U.S.
Defense Department urged for the production of the PAC-3, development of
which has been marred by a series of unsuccessful tests.
"DOD [Department of Defense] justified buying PAC-3 because GEM
interceptors were not good enough," the 1995 GAO report said. "DOD said that
although the PAC-2 and GEM interceptors cannot enforce the same defensive
zone as the PAC-3 interceptor, operational commanders will use them to
destroy tactical ballistic missiles against which they have a high
probability of kill."