Israel Rethinks, Will Test Phalanx Anti-Rocket System

by Yossi Melman
Haaretz
May 21, 2008

http://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/157/israel-rethinks-will-test-phalanx-anti-rocket

In a reversal of its previous decision, the Defense Ministry has decided to bring the Phalanx air defense system to Israel in order to examine whether it can be used to counter Qassam rocket and mortar attacks from the Gaza Strip.

Defense Minister Director General Pinhas Buchris made the decision despite opposition from several senior ministry officials, according to a number of sources.

Haaretz has learned that several weeks ago, Buchris contacted the relevant authorities in the United States and requested one Phalanx system so that its performance could be tested in Israel. The U.S. approved the request.

However, it is not clear when the system is due to arrive in Israel.

In early March, a delegation of Defense Ministry officials and Air Force officers visited the U.S. and evaluated the Phalanx system at the White Sands testing grounds in New Mexico. The delegation concluded that the Phalanx could provide at least a partial answer to the threat posed by Qassam rockets and mortars fired from Gaza.

The U.S. and British armed forces use the Phalanx to protect their bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the Green Zone, as the government compound in Baghdad is known. American reports say that the system is 80 percent effective in intercepting incoming missiles, especially mortars.

The Phalanx, which is currently in service on Israeli ships and was originally developed as a shipborne system, includes anywhere from one to four 20mm guns capable of firing an astonishing 6,000 rounds per minute. When coupled with a specially built radar system, it creates a steel curtain of bullets flying at a speed of one kilometer per second - four times faster than a Qassam - that can destroy an incoming missile, mortar or rocket. The system has a range of 1.5 kilometers.

Unlike other systems currently being developed as counters to the Qassam and mortar attacks from Gaza, the Phalanx is readily available from its manufacturer, Raytheon, and could be operational in a short period of time. Two other systems are currently under development, Iron Dome and Magic Wand, each of which is meant to counter a different type of ballistic threat. But both systems are certain to take several years to develop, and will cost billions of shekels. In contrast, a one-gun Phalanx (including the radar) costs $8 million, while the more sophisticated two-gun model (again including the radar) costs $20 million.

For about a year now, both independent experts and senior air defense specialists in the Israel Defense Forces have been trying to convince Defense Minister Ehud Barak and his deputy, Matan Vilnai, that the Phalanx could offer a solution to the attacks from Gaza and have urged them to test the system and its performance. However, the idea was steadfastly rejected by decision makers at the Defense Ministry.

In response to Haaretz's queries on this issue in recent months, the Defense Ministry said that the Phalanx had been evaluated by experts who concluded that it did not meet Israel's needs for defense against mortars and Qassam rockets.

Source: Haaretz

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