If This Document Is Correct Israel’s Attack On Iran Would Be Like Nothing Seen Before

Robert Johnson

Wikimedia Commons A Super Dvora Mk III class patrol boat

American blogger Richard Silverstein claims to have acquired an “Israeli briefing document” that outlines an Israeli attack on Iranand its nuclear facilities. 

While the validity of the report is seriously in question, it does outline a rather spectacular 21st century attack.

Arutz Sheva translated the document from its original Hebrew and writes:

“The Israeli attack on Iran “will begin with a coordinated strike, including an unprecedented cyber-attack which will totally paralyze the Iranian regime and its ability to know what is happening within its borders. The internet, telephones, radio and television, communications satellites, and fiber optic cables leading to and from critical installations will be taken out of action. The electrical grid throughout Iran will be paralyzed and transformer stations will absorb severe damage from carbon fiber munitions which are finer than a human hair, causing electrical short circuits whose repair requires their complete removal.”

Following the coordinated strike, according to the document, “A barrage of tens of ballistic missiles would be launched from Israel toward Iran. 300km ballistic missiles would be launched from Israeli submarines in the vicinity of the Persian Gulf. The missiles would not be armed with unconventional warheads [WMD], but rather with high-explosive ordnance equipped with reinforced tips designed specially to penetrate hardened targets.

“The missiles will strike their targets—some exploding above ground like those striking the nuclear reactor at Arak–which is intended to produce plutonium and tritium—and the nearby heavy water production facility; the nuclear fuel production facilities at Isfahan and facilities for enriching uranium-hexaflouride.  Others would explode under-ground, as at the Fordo facility.

“A barrage of hundreds of cruise missiles will pound command and control systems, research and development facilities, and the residences of senior personnel in the nuclear and missile development apparatus,” continues the document exposed by Silverstein. “Intelligence gathered over years will be utilized to completely decapitate Iran’s professional and command ranks in these fields.”

The “document” goes on to say that after the initial attacks, Israeli satellites will pass over Iran to gauge the damage. Then:

“Only after rapidly decrypting the satellite’s data, will the information be transferred directly to war planes making their way covertly toward Iran. These IAF planes will be armed with electronic warfare gear previously unknown to the wider public, not even revealed to our U.S. ally. This equipment will render Israeli aircraft invisible. Those Israeli war planes which participate in the attack will damage a short-list of targets which require further assault.”

The news of the “leak” is blossoming around the Web, but David Cenciotti at The Aviationist brings his experience to bear on the subject and offers some of the most unique insights that concludes with the likelihood it’s all nothing more than speculation.

Regardless, his evaluation is worth checking out here >

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/if-this-document-is-correct-israels-attack-on-iran-would-be-like-nothing-ever-seen-before-2012-8#ixzz23yBLnokJ

Here Is How Israel Would Respond To An All-Out Missile Attack From Iran

Walter Hickey and Robert Johnson 

US Navy

Iran‘s possible nuclear program is dominating news from the Middle-East because Israel knows if it perfects a thermonuclear device, Tehran likely has the ability to deliver it aboard some of its current missiles. 

Israel thinks this is too great a threat for it to allow.

The Jewish state has worked with the U.S. over the years to develop a pretty comprehensive missile defense system and we’ve outlined a rough version of it here, along with Iran’s biggest threats.

While Israel’s system strives to be fully comprehensive in its defense, if any of Iran’s rockets were strapped with a nuclear device — or if Iran could hand deliver a device into Israel — none of this preparation would mean much at all.

The homemade Qassam rocket has already been sent into Israel

Bukvoed / wikimedia

The Qassam rocket is typically manufactured by Palestinian militantsand fired into Israel without advanced guidance capabilities. They cost an estimated $800 each. 

They’re a very, very basic type of missile, propelled by a solid mixture of potassium nitrate fertilizer mixed with sugar. The warhead is typically scavenged TNT or urea nitrate. They have no guidance mechanism beyond aiming, and an estimated 2,048 were fired into Israel in 2008.

Grad missiles have killed 22 people since 2000

Morag Agmon

Since 2006, Hamas has been lobbing ex-Soviet 122mm Grad missile into Israel. The missiles are likely copies imported from Iran or China, brought into the Gaza strip from tunnels to Egypt. 

These rockets have a range of 20 kilometers, but are typically fired from a moving launcher, greatly expanding their abilities.

The Grad rockets, with the improvised Qassam rockets, have caused some of the most pain in Israel, claiming the lives of 22 citizens since 2000.

The Sejjil missile is capable of striking Tel Aviv, Israel

Youtube / screenshot

Tel Aviv, Israel is roughly 1,600 kilometers from Tehran, Iran. That, for all intent and purposes, is the magic number here; a central point in Iran to a central point in Israel is roughly 1,600 km. These are the ballistic missiles that can allegedly make that trip. 

The Sejjil missile is a solid-fueled Iranian surface-to-surface missile that is roughly 58 feet long and can travel between 2000 and 2500 kilometers, bringing Israel well within its range.

That missile is strikingly similar to the Iranian Ashoura missile, with an alleged range of 2,000 km. That medium ranged ballistic missile has been in service since November 1997.

The Shabab-3 missile can also reach deep into Israel from Iran and carries multiple warheads

(Yes, it’s photoshopped. But still, at least one of these is the Shabab-3

YouTube

The original Shabab-3 missile should only reach 1,280 km, but the upgraded Medium Range Ballistic missile version can allegedly reach up to 1,950 kilometers. 

The Fajr-3 missile is likewise a medium range Ballistic missile, but it has the ability to launch multiple reentry vehicles. What does that mean? A single rocket can release multiple warheads, each aimed at the same target in the hope that the multiple warheads overwhelm the missile defense system.

Essentially, Israel would have to contend with these long and short-range threats

Rocket fires from the Gaza strip

paffairs_sanfransisco / flickr

Both a long-range ballistic missile assault and a short range rocket attack. Then, provided the air defense worked, retaliation. 

They’ve been preparing for the long range threat for some time, and that’s one area where the U.S. has been of some assistance. However, the short range rockets were an unexpected development for the Israel Defense Forces, and they had to adapt quickly to protect population centers.

Israel’s existing air defense system is made up of three main parts

Missile Defense Agency

The Israel Defense Forces have three main ways to take out an incoming missile 

• The Iron Dome is the first tier of aerial defense designed to take out mortars and short range rockets incoming from the Gaza territories
• The Patriot missile system, acquired from the United States, is designed to intercept aircraft and incoming medium range missiles.
• The Arrow Anti-Ballistic missile defense system is designed to take out incoming long range ballistic missiles. It’s capable of destroying the missiles when they’re outside the atmosphere.

The Iron Dome is the first line of defense

NatanFlayer / wikimedia

The Iron Dome is made up of a tracking radar, a command console and a missile launcher. It is designed to take out those Qassam improvised rockets. 

The Iron Dome is largely successful because the IDF prioritizes incoming missiles. If a Qassam missile is poised to land in an uninhabited region, the IDF would instead target a missile poised to strike a populated city.

The system has been very effective at minimizing the domestic impact of the Qassam missile. Iron Dome went from conceptualization to reality in four short years, nearly unprecedented for a defense project. The U.S. has provided funding and support, and is getting some systems in the future. 

Even though it was designed in the sixties, the Patriot system is still decades ahead of the incoming missile’s tech

Public Domain / Wikimedia

The United States first deployed the Patriot missile defense system in 1984. It’s made up of a stationary launcher that can hold four missiles and a command and control center that implements the missiles. The scanning radar enables the system to identify, target, and take out incoming aircraft or medium range missiles. 

Since the initial deployment, a large number of upgrades have been added into the system to keep it modern.

Still, given that the Patriot systems would be hypothetically aimed for incoming F-14 Tomcats or ex-Soviet ballistic missiles, the Reagan-era tech should be more than capable of overcoming the most devastating parts of the retro-assault.

The Arrow Missile System can take out those long range threats from a hypothetical Iranian bombardment

US Navy

The Arrow missile system has been operational since 2000. The United States and Israel developed the air defense system together, and it remains Israel’s primary long range air defense system. 

The system has demonstrated that it can take out a ballistic missile when it is outside the atmosphere. While the Iron Dome has mostly seen deployment in the south of Israel to defend from the most consistent short range rocket threat, the Arrow system is being deployed in the center of the country to maximize aerial protection.

It is manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries and Boeing. 

David’s Sling, when complete, will complement the Iron Dome system by hitting medium sized threats

Press Photo / Rafael

The David’s Sling missile is being jointly developed by the Israeli contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and American contractor Raytheon. 

The missile is designed to intercept medium to long range rockets and some cruise missiles, and in general to aid the Iron Dome in defending Israeli air space.

The idea is that David’s Sling would take care of rockets and cruise missile that exceed the speed and range of the Iron Dome system but are too small to warrant the use of the Arrow system. It’s currently being tested before full integration.

It’s worth noting that there is a small but important American military presence in Israel

U.S. Missile Defense Agency

The only foreign troops stationed in Israel are a force of Americans manning a Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) X-band radar system on Mt. Keren in the Negev desert. 

What does this mean? Well, the THAAD system is one of the best aerial defense systems in the world. If anything goes into the air in the region, Americans will know about it before anyone else, even the Israelis.

This — as well as multiple aircraft carriers and destroyers already placed in the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean — could give Israel the extra firepower it needs to deter and retaliate against an attack.

That’s how Israel would defend its skies

Raytheon

Now check out how the U.S. fleet would defend itself from an all out assault  >

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-israel-would-respond-to-an-all-out-missile-attack-from-iran-2012-8?op=1#ixzz22tmwm83U

Boeing to Market Israeli UAVs

Israel’s Elbit Systems soars in the international market with a new agreement with Boeing to market the company’s Hermes UAVs.

 IsraelNationalNews

By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

First Publish: 7/11/2012, 9:18 AM

Hermes 900

Elbit

Israel’s Elbit Systems has soared into the international market with a new agreement with Boeing to market the company’s Hermes UAVs, American military and defense media reported Monday.

The companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the Farnborough Air Show in London. The agreement covers marketing and sales of Elbit’s Hermes 450 and 900 UAS product lines.

The agreement gives Elbit a long-desired stronger foothold in the U.S. market.

Its Hermes 450 UAV are exported to several countries, including Britain, Singapore, Georgia and Brazil. It also is a principle part of the IDF’s counterterrorist operations.

The larger Hermes 900 can carry larger payloads for extended missions and is often used for ground support and maritime patrol missions.  “This partnership further expands and enhances Boeing’s longstanding relationship with Elbit Systems to include unmanned products,” said Debbie Rub, Boeing Missiles and Unmanned Airborne Systems vice president and general manager.

She said the Hermes UAVs will help Boeing supply needs by the United States and its allies.

Boeing and Elbit recently announced other strategic agreements relating to advanced fighter avionics and long-term cooperation providing helmet-mounted display sights for all Boeing’s fighter planes.

Boeing earlier this year chose Elbit’s Brazilian subsidiary to provide large cockpit displays for the F-15 and the F-18 fighters.

Israel’s Elbit Anti-Missile System Protects Jets

Israel’s giant Elbit Systems firm has produced a new to protect medium and large aircraft against shoulder-fired missiles.

 IsraelNationalNews

By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

First Publish: 7/10/2012, 9:07 AM

Elbit’s C-MUSIC system elbit photo

Israel news photo courtesy of Elbit

Israel’s giant Elbit Systems firm has produced a new to protect medium and large aircraft against shoulder-fired missiles.

The “J-MUSIC” system follows the previously launched C-MUSIC system, which protects passenger planes. The latest anti-missile system is being unveiled at the Farnborough Air Show in London this week.

J-MUSIC is an advanced multi-spectral infra-red fiber-laser based system, which rapidly acquires and tracks incoming man-portable missiles and deflects them from the target using a very powerful laser beam.

The new system is specially designed to protect medium to large jets such as transporters, tankers, special mission platforms, business jets and others.

The new system has an advantage of being lightweight, enabling it to be easily installed on a wide range of aircraft and allowing protection against multiple and simultaneous missile threats

In addition to Israel, the J-MUSIC system already operates in Brazil, Italy and other countries. The Italian Air Force has selected the system to be installed on helicopters.

Elbit Systems has become an exporter in the international market, and its stock is dually traded in Tel Aviv and New York.

The company includes subsidiaries that operate in the areas of aerospace, land and naval systems, command, control, communications, computers, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, unmanned aircraft systems, advanced electro-optics, electro-optic space systems, airborne warning systems and military communications systems.

Israel Encrypts UAVs As Cyberwar Widens

 

 

http://www.upi.com

 

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Israel’s military is expected shortly to take delivery of an advanced model of the Skylark 1 unmanned aerial vehicle that will be equipped with electronic jammers that will block efforts to intercept surveillance data.

The move comes amid a sharp escalation in Israel’s cyber operations against Iran’s highly secret nuclear program, which the Jewish state believes is aimed at developing nuclear weapons, and growing Iranian expertise in counter-measures.

A senior officer in Israel’s military intelligence warned Monday Israel’s foes were stepping up their efforts to gather electronic intelligence on Israel’s armed forces and military capabilities, The Jerusalem Post reported.

“We’re seeing an improvement by the other side in its ability to gather intelligence … the ability of a number of groups with varying capabilities to work against us,” the officer said.

The 13-pound Skylark 1, developed by Elbit Systems, one of Israel’s top electronic warfare specialists, has been supplied to army battalions as part of the Sky Rider Program aimed at providing combat unit commanders with real-time aerial surveillance capabilities.

The Skylark operation is part of a military-wide process to encrypt UAVs amid growing indications Israel’s enemies can now hack into surveillance signals.

That process was initiated in 2010 after it became evident Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shiite movement in Lebanon and one of Israel’s most formidable foes, had succeeded in intercepting Israeli drone data.

This was used to ambush an Israeli Special Forces raid inside Lebanon in September 1997.

When the Israeli commandoes of Flotilla 13, the navy’s Special Operations unit, were ambushed near Ansariya in south Lebanon, the military believed Hezbollah had gotten lucky but did not have any advance warning of the raid.

Eleven of the raiders, including the unit commander, Lt. Col. Yossi Korakin, were killed in a running battle. The handful of survivors were rescued by helicopters.

It wasn’t until August 2010, when Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, claiming Israel had been involved in the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, publicly unveiled surveillance footage from an Israeli UAV in operation at the time of the Ansariya raid.

The Israeli military concluded the footage Hezbollah showed was genuine and had been intercepted during Israeli surveillance of the target zone prior to the actual nighttime raid that Hezbollah hailed as a major victory.

Nasrallah also displayed what he said were Israeli aerial surveillance tapes of routes used by Hariri between his Beirut residence and Parliament, claiming these indicated Israeli involvement in the assassination of Lebanon’s most prominent statesman.

A U.N.-mandated special tribunal has indicted four members of Hezbollah, including two senior figures, for the suicide bombing that killed Hariri and 22 other people.

Hezbollah’s ability to intercept Israeli UAV surveillance data undoubtedly benefited from major technological support provided by intelligence units of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which maintains cells in Lebanon and inside Hezbollah.

The Shiite movement, which fought the Israeli army to a standstill in a 34-day war in the summer of 2006, is armed and heavily funded by Tehran.

Iran is Israel’s primary adversary in the ever-expanding intelligence war and has been targeted in several cyberattacks, widely blamed on Israel and the United States, that began in 2009.

These began with the Stuxnet computer worm that sabotaged Iran’s uranium enrichment process at its Natanz facility.

The most recent attack attributed to U.S.-Israeli intelligence was in April, when a more advanced super-virus, dubbed W.32 Flame, hit the control systems of Iran’s oil export terminals.

Cyber experts say Flame, the most complex computer worm so far detected, is able to steal vast amounts of data.

U.S. officials say the cyberattacks are part of a systematic offensive by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and Israel’s intelligence establishment against Iran.

But the Iranians are clearly making major advances in their cyber capabilities, suggesting Israel — and the United States — face a more sophisticated foe.

Iran captured an advanced U.S. UAV in December 2011, claiming it hacked into the craft’s GPS guidance system and forced it to land.

The CIA-operated RQ-170 Sentinel is one of the United States’ most valuable intelligence assets, crammed with advanced electronic systems.

Gen. Amir Ali Hajisadeh, commander of the IRGC’s aerospace division, said April 23 his teams had cracked the U.S. codes and were building an Iranian version of the spy craft.

With New Cameras, IAF Could Peek into the Ground

Hyperspectral camera could allow UAVs to detect hidden weapons and chemical agents.

IsraelNationalNews

By Gil Ronen

First Publish: 6/11/2012, 11:59 AM

IAF UAVs

Israel news photo: Flash 90

The Israel Air Force is currently examining hyper-spectral camera technology, which could allow unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to collect a wide variety of information, some invisible to the human eye, theIAF Website writes. Among other things, the camera could identify hidden weapons and underground bunkers camouflaged with vegetation.

“The camera will alert its operator regarding the location of suspicious targets and even of spots that are saturated with chemicals and other substances,” Lt. Col. Yoav, chief of the Intelligence Department of the IAF’s EquipmentSquadron, told the website.

“Its mode of operation is based on sensing the wavelengths invisible to the human eye that are emitted by different substances in nature. Every natural substance emits waves at lengths that are unique to it, and the camera can tell the difference between them because of its high sensitivity,” he added.

If, for instance, a bush appears to emit abnormal wavelengths – it could be a sign that something is hidden beneath it.

Airborne hyper-spectral cameras already have civilian uses, and serve to identify pests in fields, environmental damage and air pollution.

Experiments are currently underway in order to examine if the system is suitable for use by the IAF. If approved, the cameras will be integrated into the UAV squadrons, following an extensive training process that will be conducted by professional engineers.