Israel seeks U.S. cannon to fight Gaza rockets

Israel seeks U.S. cannon to fight Gaza rockets

au.news.yahoo.com

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel wants to buy a U.S. radar-guided cannon to shoot down short-range rockets and mortar bombs fired at the Jewish state by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip , an Israeli newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The Raytheon Phalanx system, designed to shred incoming shells after spotting their launch, could complement the Israeli Iron Dome system that fires small interceptor missiles and is due to be deployed on Gaza's border by 2010.

Phalanxes currently in production are earmarked for U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan but Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak would ask the Pentagon to free up one unit -- costing $25 million (17 million pounds) -- for Israel , Haaretz said.

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US Postpones Military Shipments to Israel

Isreal is still being attacked with rockets. Hamas, from the West Bank.
Sounds like another reason to kill Palastinians.

Israel's 22-day military offensive in Gaza that ended in January failed to stamp out rocket salvoes from the coastal enclave, ruled by the Islamist Hamas movement.

en.wikipedia.org..." target="_blank" class="postlink">Phalanx CIWS
The Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) is an anti-Anti-ship missile system that was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Corporation, Pomona Division.

The United States Army's version of the Navy's CIWS Phalanx anti-missile system is called the C-RAM, and is part of that service's Counter-Rocket, Artillery, Mortar initiative.

Each system uses a 20 mm M61A1 Gatling gun firing 3,000 or 4,500 M-246 or M-940 rounds per minute.[6][7] In 2008 there were more than twenty CIWS systems protecting bases in the U.S. Central Command area of operations. A Raytheon spokesman told Navy Times that 105 attacks were defeated by the systems, most of those involved mortars. Another 23 systems were on order for land use in September 2008.

Land based version

[edit on 21-4-2009 by spearhead]

looking on the Raytheon Company website it appears the Phalanx system his far more versatile than just a short range defense system.

Raytheon Company - Phalanx close-in weapon system
Phalanx Block 1B, the latest upgrade, with its surface mode configuration, augments the proven anti-air warfare capability by adding a forward looking infrared sensor and optimized gun barrels to the Block 1A configuration. It allows Phalanx to be used against littoral warfare threats such as helicopters and high-speed surface threats.

this would be an extremely effective mobile defense system for an invasion force.

from original article
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak would ask the Pentagon to free up one unit

This is interesting in the fact that Isreal is currently talking about developing their own weapon systems and munitions to shift their dependacy from the US.
With just one , i wonder how fast Isreal could integrate the Phalanx unit into their own defense systems. pilfering technology! they'd probably make it smaller and put it on the back of an armoured vehicle.

Is Isreal attempting to take the steps to become a self sufficient militarised nation?

[edit on 21-4-2009 by spearhead]

there is a pdf on the phalanx centurion
Centurion Weapon System

Centurion™ Weapon System Specifications
Gun: M61A1 20 mm cannon
Gun Drive: Pneumatic
Magazine: 1,500-round high explosive incendiary tracer self-destruct
Mount Drive: Electric
Fire Rate: Dual fire rate – 3,000 or 4,500 shots per minute
Fire Control: Fully integrated closed-loop with manual override
Weight: 53,000 pounds trailer mounted
Search Radar: Ku-band, digital MTI
Track Radar: Ku-band, pulse Doppler monopulse
E/O Sensor: FLIR imaging system with automatic acquisition tracker
Elevation/Train Accel: 8 rad/sec2
Elevation/Train Vel: 2 rad/sec
Elevation Limits: –25 degrees to +85 degrees

Likely isreal will take the system and make it better. They have done this with other US weapons systems and then turned around a gave the improvment to the US in exchange for other weapons systems.

www.strategypage.com...

If we don't sell the our system there likely to use the bigger Dutch goalkeeper gun system.

en.wikipedia.org...

And it uses the GAU-8/A Avenger 30 mm Gatling gun, from the A-10 Warthog Thunderbolt II,

That would really mess with the rockets from gaza