Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




MISSILE DEFENSE
Israel's Rafael and Raytheon to co-produce Iron Dome
by Staff Writers
Tel Aviv, Israel (UPI) Jan 14, 2013


Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israel's second-largest state-owned defense company, is reported ready to start co-producing its Iron Dome anti-missile defense system with the Raytheon Co. of the United States, consolidating an alliance that's already developing the Stunner interceptor missile of Rafael's David's Sling system designed by Rafael.

Defense News, a U.S. weekly, says Rafael is expected to sign on to a new deal with Raytheon, the world's biggest missile manufacturer, on the Tamir, Iron Dome's maneuverable, radar-guided interceptor.

Raytheon, headquartered at Waltham, Mass., said in 2012 it would welcome the opportunity to partner Rafael on Iron Dome production.

Under the new arrangement, Raytheon would head a group of U.S. subcontractors for co-production of Tamir components and subsystems, with final assembly of the missile batteries carried out by Rafael in Israel.

Iron Dome is the only combat-tested component of a planned four-tier missile defense shield Israel is constructing.

Defense News reported a final agreement between the U.S. and Israel governments is expected within weeks.

U.S. lawmakers representing states with major defense industry links have long been pushing for co-production deals with Israel's high-tech defense sector -- which has developed Iron Dome, along with David's Sling and the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems dedicated to form the unique defense shield known as Homa, Hebrew for The Wall.

All the systems have been heavily financed by the United States.

The Arrow program, which has cost around $1 billion so far, dates back to the 1980s. Arrow 3 is being developed by state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries and the Boeing Co. of the United States.

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives demanded in April 2012 the United States get access to Iron Dome technology before approving $680 million in military aid to Israel from fiscal 2012 to 2015, so it could acquire more batteries for the system, designed to intercept short-range rockets used by Hezbollah in Lebanon and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

The Pentagon has shown little interest in acquiring Iron Dome technology. But pressure has built from the House Armed Services Committee as U.S. defense budget cuts have built up significantly amid the threat of widespread closures in the defense industry.

Lawmakers claimed the United States had already invested nearly $900 million in Iron Dome development and production, including an upgraded variant, and should be allowed some rights to the system's proprietary technology.

The new deal between Rafael and Raytheon, pending approval by Israel's Defense Ministry and the U.S. Department of Defense's Missile Defense Agency, could be a landmark development that will give U.S. defense companies access to Israeli technology on an unprecedented level.

"We didn't start with Raytheon," said Pini Yungman, director of Rafael's Missile Defense Systems Directorate. "But after careful consideration we understood the strategic partnership that has proven itself with David's Sling would provide the most benefit on Iron Dome and plans, in the future, to extend our activities for possible use by the U.S. Army."

Defense News reported David's Sling's two-stage Stunner interceptor could offer a low-cost alternative to the single-stage Patriot PAC-3 air-defense missiles built by Lockheed Martin.

Although successive U.S. administrations have provided substantial funding for the Israeli systems, all the key elements of Iron Dome, including the interceptor, its guidance system, radar and battle management system remain under Israeli ownership.

The Israelis, dependent on $3 billion in U.S. military aid a year, have been reluctant to share the rights on their missile-defense technology which has broken new ground in recent years.

There was little visible enthusiasm for sharing technology that could ultimately produce major export sales for Israel's defense sector, which increasingly relies on exports to maintain production lines for the Israeli armed forces.

Possibly more important, those sales pay for research and development by Israelis firms that produces such weapons as Iron Dome, which the military says has destroyed 84.6 percent of all hostile missiles and rockets it has engaged since it became operational in early 2011. Some Israeli missile experts question that kill rate.

Iron Dome constitutes the bottom tier of the Homa shield. David's Sling is designed to counter medium-range weapons and cruise missiles.

IAI's Arrow 2 is designed to counter Iranian and Syrian ballistic missiles at high altitude and long range. Arrow 3 will intercept ballistic weapons outside Earth's atmosphere.

.


Related Links
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








MISSILE DEFENSE
Raytheon resumes work on US Navy Air and Missile Defense Radar
Tewksbury MA (SPX) Jan 16, 2014
Raytheon has received a resume work order from the U.S. Navy to commence development of the new Air and Missile Defense Radar. The order followed the official Government Accountability Office update of its database to reflect the status of the AMDR contract award protest as withdrawn. On October 10, 2013, Raytheon was awarded a $385,742,176 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for the engineer ... read more


MISSILE DEFENSE
China's moon rover performs first lunar probe

Internet Radio Provides Musical Space-Weather Reports from NASA's LRO Mission

Moon rover, lander wake after lunar night

India to launch second mission to moon by 2017

MISSILE DEFENSE
A Decade in the Dust

An Engineer With His Sights on Mars

Lichen on Mars

Megafloods: What They Leave Behind

MISSILE DEFENSE
Commercial Spaceflight Federation Applauds Passage of Bill Providing Funding for Commercial Programs

NASA Tests Orion Spacecraft Parachute Jettison over Arizona

NASA Space Launch System Could Make 'Outside the Box' Science Missions Possible

NASA Sets Coverage Schedule for TDRS-L/Atlas V Launch Events

MISSILE DEFENSE
Official: China's space policy open to world

China launches communications satellite for Bolivia

China's moon rover continues lunar survey after photographing lander

China's Yutu "naps", awakens and explores

MISSILE DEFENSE
Cygnus Work Under Way, Normal Station Operations Continue

Spaceflight, Nanoracks Partnership Launch CubeSat Customers Towards Historic ISS Deployment

Orbital's cargo ship arrives at space station

Obama Administration Extends ISS Until at Least 2024

MISSILE DEFENSE
NASA's Commercial Crew Partners Aim to Capitalize, Expand on 2013 Successes in 2014

Ariane Flight VA217; Ariane Flight VA216 and Soyuz Flight VS07

2014 set to be a very productive year for collaboration between Arianespace and Italy

Vega Flight VV03 And Ariane Flight VA218

MISSILE DEFENSE
NASA's Kepler Provides Insights on Enigmatic Planets

Powerful Planet Finder Turns Its Eye to the Sky

New kind of planet or failed star? Astrophysicists discover category-defying celestial object

SF State astronomers discover new planet in Pisces constellation

MISSILE DEFENSE
ISS delays planned orbit raise due to space junk threat

IBM to invest $1.2 bn to expand 'cloud'

Space fishing: Japan to test 'magnetic net' for space junk

Boeing Space Surveillance System Reduces Risk of Satellite Loss by 66 Percent




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement