TEL AVIV — The war with Hizbullah has rekindled Israeli interest in a U.S. laser-based missile
defense system once deemed too expensive.
"The war in Lebanon has changed the priorities of a lot of people,
including the Defense Minister leadership," an official said. "We need to
work on options for rocket and short-range missile defense."
The Defense Ministry has requested information on development prospects
of the Sky Guard tactical laser system, Middle East Newsline reported. The request came only three months
after the ministry concluded that the system was too expensive.
[On Tuesday, a government committee was said to have determined that
Israel would be unable to withdraw from the West Bank because the military
could not intercept missiles expected to be launched by Palestinian
insurgents. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported that an Israeli military
presence was the only solution to prevent Kassam-class, short-range missile
and Katyusha rocket fire.]
Over the last week, the ministry, prodded by Defense Minister Amir
Peretz, has appealed to the U.S. Defense Department for information on Sky
Guard, produced by Northrop Grumman. The head of the ministry's research
directorate, Shmuel Keren, relayed a list of questions to the Pentagon.
In January 2006, Northrop Grumman briefed the Defense Ministry and
Israeli military on Sky Guard. Officials said the company estimated that
each battery would cost between $30 million and $50 million. The company
determined that development could be completed within a year at a cost of
$400 million.
The questions drafted by Keren sought data on the Sky Guard prototype,
the rate of rocket penetration, Pentagon funding and project timetable.
Officials said Keren has sought a laser system with a range of up to eight
kilometers.
On Aug. 13, the Israeli business daily Globes reported that Keren has
opposed the procurement or development of Sky Guard. The newspaper said
Keren, a former chief artillery officer, maintained that Sky Guard or any
other laser system could be overwhelmed by heavy rocket salvos.
At the same time, the ministry has determined that Israel requires an
anti-rocket system to protect strategic sites. Officials pointed to
Hizbullah's attempt to strike the oil refinery and petrochemical facilities.
Israel has also sought a system that could track and destroy makeshift
or poorly-constructed rockets without steady flight. Officials cited the
Hamas-origin Kassam-class, short-range missiles, fired toward Israel from
the neighboring Gaza Strip.
Northrop Grumman has maintained that Sky Guard could defend an area of
eight square kilometers, or the size of Sderot, the main target of Kassam
missile strikes. The company asserted that the system could be augmented
with existing radars.
