Israeli tech improved response time against rocket firings to 30 seconds
Wednesday, January 21, 2009 Free Headline Alerts
TEL AVIV — Military sources said Israel's Air Force has managed to detect and destroy targets within 30 seconds. ShareThis
The sources said the enhanced sensor-to-shooter cycle was demonstrated during Operation Cast Lead, the 22-day military operation in the Gaza Strip.
"The things that we've been developing in the area of sensor-to-shooter technology have been maturing, and we saw the results of this in Operation Cast Lead," a military source said.
The sources cited the Israeli air strikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. They said F-15 and F-16 combat aircraft were able to identify and fire air-to-ground missiles within 30 seconds.
In all, the military and the National Security Agency conducted about 120 real-time precision strikes during Operation Lead Cast. The sources said the missions included the relay of information on impending rocket strikes or Hamas targets and a military response within a minute.
The sources said the air force integrated manned fixed-wing aircraft with helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. They said the helicopters and UAVs identified targets for fixed-wing combat aircraft in the area.
Until 2008, the sensor-to-shooter loop averaged about 60-90 seconds, the sources said. They said the air force had sought to reduce this time since the 2006 war in Lebanon when F-16s were unable to find Hizbullah rocket squads.
Israel introduced a range of weapons and platforms during the Hamas war. The sources said the air force employed the U.S.-origin Joint Direct Attack Munition, Heron UAV as well as synthetic aperture radar targeting pods.
"The use of SAR allowed us to conduct air strikes at night in urban areas," the source said.
The air force extensively employed the one-ton Mk-84 JDAM during the Hamas war, the sources said. JDAM was introduced in the 2006 war against Hizbullah with mixed results.
"We were just learning JDAM during the Lebanon war," the source said. "We have become much more experienced since then."