Defense officials view laser as future of anti-missile technology

[bemildred]

Some interesting bits.

---

Technology using solid lasers has not been developed, which is why Rafael is lowering expectations by saying its system will not be available for at least eight years. In theory, using such technology would allow the system to lock on to a rocket as it is fired at Israel and send a beam traveling at the speed of light that will cause the warhead to heat up and explode within two seconds.

Meanwhile, the security establishment has tested the Nautilus system a number of times in its operative version, and a smaller version, the Sky Guard, finding it to be inadequate for its needs. Intense pressure by arms giant Northrop Grumman caused Defense Minister Director-General Pinchas Buchris to fly to New Mexico to reexamine the system. Upon his return last weekend, the official said the system he was shown cannot shoot down Qassam rockets.

---

The defense establishment says that despite such developments, the future lay in laser beams. Should such a system be functional, it would be a keystone in Israel's missile defenses. Once available, the Iron Dome will be costly; it will use expensive Tamir missiles that cost tens of thousands of dollars per unit to intercept cheap Qassam rockets assembled in garages. Using laser beams, however, would be exponentially cheaper. However, such a system is still a long way off.

"No such system currently exists anywhere in the world," an official said. "Therefore, development is expected to continue and we have a lot of work ahead of us. The ministry has submitted its requests and we are trying to respond to them."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/967338.html

[subsuelo]

1. War Pigs and Profiteers

Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor

War is business and business is booming!

[MaryCeleste]

2. Who profits from the weapons sold to Gaza? Surely not the people there

instead look to their muslim and Arab brothers. The ones who supply them so that the people of Gaza can bleed as their proxies.

[subsuelo]

3. Would you object ...

Would you, or anyone object -- if someone posted about how Israel's "Jewish brothers" in the U.S. were profiting from weapons sales, as they watched the people bleed?

[LeftishBrit]

20. The difference is...

that the US is not an officially Jewish country and only a small minority of its people are Jews. Therefore, such a post would be singling out a small ethnic group within a country, and thus racist.

By contrast, the states in question here *are* officially Arab and Muslim states. So it's a criticism of the states, not of a particular ethnic group within them.

The equivalent with regard to Jews/Israel would in fact be someone saying that the state of Israel was giving insufficient help, or the wrong kind of help, to its "Jewish brothers" in another country. Depending on the exact context, this would not necessarily be objectionable.

[henank]

4. Why do you have a problem

with Israel trying to develop some kind of anti-Kassam weapon? Why does it bother you that it will cost lots of money? Perhaps you should expend some of your righteous anger in persuading Hamas, Islamic Jihad and all their cohorts to stop firing rockets at Israel. Or perhaps you would prefer Israel to invade Gaza and conquer it, thereby stopping the Kassams? Or perhaps you would prefer Israel to carpet bomb the place? You can't have it all ways.

[subsuelo]

5. Sorry you find objections to the business of war difficult to accept

Exploiting your fears to get the easy money... you should have a problem but instead you accept it and the war never ends

[Vegasaurus]

6. Contrary to your beliefs

sitting cozy in America somewhere, Israelis have real fears, since there are sworn enemies all around them, and at least two terrorist groups and one president of state whose soul goals are to obliterate Israel.

So, you may think that fears are being "exploited",but I assure you, that Israel will go to all lengths to protect itself from all the nuttering nutjobs attempting to kill as many Israelis as possible and take back all of "greater Palestine".

Too bad you have a problem with that, but frankly, it isn't my concern.

[subsuelo]

7. And the war machine keeps turning...

Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds...

[rockymountaindem]

8. So your solution to the I/P situation is Ozzy Osbourne lyrics?

Why hasn't this been thought of before!?!?!

[Vegasaurus]

9. Apparently

there are some who are so foolish as to believe that Hamas, Hezbollah, and the rest of the terrorists are not REALLY terrorists at all, they are just misunderstood.

Oh, and the problems would all be solved if Israel didn't respond to the rocket fire (oops, been there, done that).

As long as the terror groups (and heads of states) continue to advance their goals of getting rid of all the Jews in the middle east, no set of lyrics is going to solve the problem.

[subsuelo]

11. Both sides are to blame

How many times does it have to be said?

Both sides commit terrorism. Both sides are barbaric.

The difference between us, is that I condemn both, while you just criticize only one side but look the other way and excuse the other side.

When will you see the truth of it?

[Vegasaurus]

12. I condemn violence and terrorism too

However, I honestly believe that if the Palestinians stopped their terrorism, there would be absolutely NO response from Israel. If I were wrong, I would be the first in line condemning them.

I agree that the continued settlement activity hampers peace efforts, and should cease.

But the violence is more one-sided, and Israel is iN RESPONSE to the militants' terrorism. If the Palestinians stopped their terror, all of it, for a period of time, i think you would see a huge difference in life for them. The Israelis would immediately respond in a positive way. The wall, checkpoints, etc are all IN RESPONSE to terror. Think about it.

[subsuelo]

13. But don't you see...

Hamas and various organized militias on the Palestinian side also truly believe they are acting "in response" to Israeli actions. When does it ever end? We also never see any end to Israel's taking of land and settlement expansion, clearly a heavy dousing of gasoline on an already blazing fire. When is that going to end? Palestinians say their violence is "in response" to taking their land away from them.

That is why I argue we need to call both sides to task equally.

[msmcghee]

14. You are getting pretty good at feigned bewilderment.

If what you say is true, why has Israel not responded so many times, like when they left Gaza and immediately received rocket fire that has been virtually continuous since then?

You obviously are only interested in supporting your fanciful narrative where "It's just so hard to figure out who the real aggressors are. Who shall we blame?". But I am enjoying the drama of it all. :applause:

[bemildred]

15. Israel makes a fetish of responding every time.

There were rockets before Israel left Gaza, there are rockets after Israel decolonized Gaza. It had no effect. In any case, since the "withdrawal" was emphatically unilateral, there is no reason to expect it to have any effect on anything. Which is sensible, because it was not done to appease the Palestinians or anything of that sort, it was done for purely Israeli political purposes.

[pelsar]

22. appease the Palestinians?

here is no reason to expect it to have any effect on anything. Which is sensible, because it was not done to appease the Palestinians or anything of that sort, it was done for purely Israeli political purposes.

so israel must first appease the Palestinians before doing anything?...what does that mean? ...ask for forgiveness for before doing anything. This has got to be one of the more imaginative excuses i've seen for the rockets to continue:

I'll summarize:

the consensus is that israel must leave gaza.

israel leaves gaza....attacks continue

obviously israel didnt leave in the "proper way"...so the Palestinians govts in gaza understandably continue to terrorize and kill israelis...Guess israel left Lebanon wrong as well

got to appease them, i guess other wise they get hurt and have to try to kill jews to make themselves feel better

[bemildred]

26. "was not done to appease the Palestinians"

You do not understand what I said.

[subsuelo]

16. fanciful narrative indeed

You're the one that writes "It's just so hard to figure out who the real aggressors are" - not me

[Dick Dastardly]

18. I dont think you are seeing. They are!! acting in response to the Israeli atrocities and aggresion

There is no equally, Israel needs to be taken to task to stop their land theft, crimes and their brutal occupation, that is the solution. Why would you reward Israel for their atrocities by shifting the blame to the Palestinians who have little blame in this. Why should Israel stop their crimes when you reward them for it, you dont make any sense here.

[subsuelo]

25. What are you talking about?

Please read what I wrote:

"I argue we need to call both sides to task"

[Dick Dastardly]

29. I did read what you wrote

The Palestinians are just trying to defend themselves so why should they be taken to task equally with Israel who is the aggressor as if Palestinians are equally the aggressor and share equal blame. That is just like blaming and punishing a person who got mugged as you would do with the mugger.

[subsuelo]

10. you deny the truth contained in the lines quoted?

[Dick Dastardly]

17. Now in darkness, world stops turning

As the war machine keeps burning
No more war pigs of the power
Hand of God has sturck the hour
Day of judgement, God is calling
On their knees, the war pigs crawling
Begging mercy for their sins
Satan, laughing, spreads his wings


Very interesting.
So your truth is based on mythology , mythological beings like Satan and mythological predestined events such as Day of judgement. I did not think you were someone who uses mythology to run and structure their lives and beliefs. Are you saved or something

[subsuelo]

23. Read the post you just replied to

What did I ask?

[Shaktimaan]

19. I do.

Israelis rich and poor both fight in this war. The same could be said of Palestinians.

The sons and daughters of every Knesset member do army service and most are in the reserves as well. As pelsar, he knows. He serves himself every year.

Now what I don't understand is why you would oppose a "weapon" that serves no purpose other than one that's purely defensive, obviating the need for Israelis to live in fear and also eliminating the need for the IDF to run operations in the OPT which cause the bulk of civilian casualties. Israel causes so few civilian casualties compared to other nations at war largely as a result of their advanced weaponry which allows them to pinpoint strikes. If more advances could make far more civilian casualties obsolete then why in the world would you oppose them?

[subsuelo]

24. What I call into question is the gravy train war machine our leaders are so addicted to

If you can't understand that view, there is nothing more to say

[Shaktimaan]

27. I understand what you were saying.

But I think your attempt at transposing it directly onto Israeli society leaves much to be desired in terms of relevance. There is a popular idea among the left in America that our government wages war and foments conflict in order to give us an enemy to be afraid of, that fear and the subsequent wars being justification for vast sums being invested into our military industrial corporations, who then use their guaranteed customer to rack up huge profits on the taxpayer dime and line the pockets of the elite via skyrocketing stock and kickback cash to keep their buddy-buddy politicians in office.

Despite my own problems with this simplistic model, even if you buy into it 1000% it still isn't a one size fits all philosophy. Israel currently faces, (and will in all likelihood continue to face for a long time), a serious, life-threatening problem. One that grows exponentially more dangerous and far reaching as time passes and Palestinian rockets improve. It is not an artificially manufactured fear. It is not mere propaganda that an unwitting Israeli public swallows thoughtlessly. Trust me, I've done a little traveling in my life. The Israelis read more news than any other people I've met. They are not blindly patriotic sheep; they tend to be pretty practical, especially compared to US folks. And if a practical, effective system to defuse the threat posed by these rockets is not found, then Israel will have to resort to the old fashioned method of doing so, which will result in scores of Israeli deaths and many times that number in Palestinians killed.

We already have the technology to kill people. This is a technology that has no use except to render deadly weapons ineffective. If developed the results will be countless lives saved and entire lines of existing weaponry rendered virtually harmless. You seem to be against this based on some animosity against the companies who would be paid to build it. I think it is a fair question to ask you WHY in the world you would be opposed to developing this technology.

So... why?

[LeftishBrit]

21. Understandable that they want these...

and anti-missile technology is much better than reprisals that kill civilians.

'Rafael is lowering expectations by saying its system will not be available for at least eight years'

I do have dreams of the Israeli defense ministers saying in eight years' time, "Oh bloody hell - we've spent all this money on this new defensive weapon and now we don't need it due to this great peace agreement!" But perhaps that is naive of me.

[azurnoir]

28. Will the system actually be used for Kassam's?

This line seemed to sum that up-

Once available, the Iron Dome will be costly; it will use expensive Tamir missiles that cost tens of thousands of dollars per unit to intercept cheap Qassam rockets assembled in garages.

So now are we to believe that Israel is so concerned about Palestinian lives or the lives of Israeli's for that matter, that it spend 1000X the cost of a Kassam to not have to take more "extreme" measures?

Sounds like PR to me.