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Friday, March 26, 2010    

Israel plans to replace U.S.-made flechette shell with more 'humanitarian' alternative

TEL AVIV — Israel's military plans to end the use of a U.S.-made shell, deployed in the war against the Hamas regime in 2009.   

Officials said the Israel Army has decided to phase out deployment of the so-called flechette shell, meant to kill people within a radius of up to 300 meters, Middle East Newsline reported. They said the Army's Armored Corps would no longer order the shell from the United States.

"We're phasing them out," Armored Corps chief Brig. Gen. Agay Yehezkel said.


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Israel has been under criticism from international human rights groups for using the flechette in wars with Hamas and Hizbullah in 2009 and 2006. Yehezkel said flechette, which emit thousands of 3.75 mm darts, would be replaced by 105 mm and 120 mm shells known as Anti-Personnel Anti-Material and manufactured by the state-owned Israel Military Industries (IMI).

"It's a matter of opting for a shell that performs better, with obvious humanitarian benefits," Yehezkel told the Reuters news agency.

Yehezkel said the rounds manufactured by IMI contained a reduced kill zone. He said APAM was also designed to destroy light armored vehicles as well as block an infantry offensive.

"The kill zone is much reduced, and focused," Yehezkel said. "No one else has this kind of weapon."

Flechettes have been permitted by international conventions. But in 2003, Israel's Supreme Court said commanders must ensure that flechette would not harm civilians.

The Armored Corps has also been preparing to install active protection systems on the Merkava Mk-4 main battle tank fleet. Yehezkel said the Trophy APS system, manufactured by Israel's state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, would be installed on the first 11 Mk-4 MBTs by June 2010. By the end of the year, the first Mk-4 battalion, or 36 MBTs, would receive Trophy.

Officials said Trophy would protect Israeli MBTs in any war against Hamas and Hizbullah. During the 2006 war, at least 42 tanks were disabled by Hizbullah mines or rocket attacks. Yehezkel said the army deployed between 250 and 300 MBTs during the 33-day war in Lebanon.

"Trophy can defeat any anti-tank rocket out there," Yehezkel said.



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