THE ISRAELIS ORIC1NALLY WERE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING IN SDI SIMPLY TO GAIN ACCESS TO HEW TECHNOLOGY, BUT SINCE7 PRESS AND RELIABLE SOURCE REPORTING FROM ISRAEL INDICATES AN INCREASED CONCERN ABOUT CHEMICAL ATTACKS BY ARAB COUNTRIES, IN PARTICULAR SYRIA, USING BALLISTIC MISSILES. THIS INCREASED CONCERN PROBABLY WAS BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE SALE OF THE INTERMEDIATE-RANGEO SAUDI ARABIA, THE USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS IN THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR, AND THE USE OF BALLISTIC MISSILES IN THE WAR OF THE CITIES. SOURCE REPORTING INDICATES THAT THE ISRAELIS NOW SEEM DETERMINED TO COUNTER THE ARAB MISSILES. g| |
THE CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES, LT- GEN. DAN SHOMRON, HAS STATED IN THE PRESS THAT THERE ARE THREE RESPONSES TO THE MISSILE THREAT: PREEMPTIVE AIR STRIKES. CIVILIAN CHEMICAL DEFENSE PROGRAMS, AND ATQ-'l SYSTEMS. IN PRESS STATEMENTS, BOTH HE AND DEFENSE MINISTER YITZHAK RABIN HAVE EMPHASIZED THE FIRST TWO RESPONSES AS CAPABLE OF PROTECTING THE CIVILIAN POPULATION AND HAVE REFERRED TO ATBM SYSTEMS ONLY AS LONG-TERM PROJECTS. INDEED, THEY AND OTHER ISRAELI OFFICIALS, WHILE EXPRESSING CONCERN IN THE PRESS OVER THE THREAT POSED BY ARAB MISSILES, HAVE ATTEMPTED TO MINIMIZE ISRAELI FEARS ABOUT CHEMICAL ATTACKS. THE ISRAELI OFFICIALS HAVE STATED THATERCENT OF THE POPULATION COULD BE
ALTHOUGH THE ISRAELIS DO NOT APPEAR TO HAVE DECIDEDINAL FORM OF THEATER DEFENSE, REPORTING FROM VARIOUS SOURCES INDICATES THAT THEIR ATBH PROGRAM CONSISTS OF TWO PHASES. THE FIRST PHASE INVOLVES DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARROW INTERCEPTOR MISSILE FOR AREA DEFENSE AND EITHER THENTERCEPTOR MISSILE (DERIVED FROM THE ISRAELI NAVY'S BARAK POINT-DEFENSE MISSILE)YPERVELOCITY GUN FOR TERMINAL DEFENSE. EARLY WARNING SENSORS PROBABLY WOULD CONSIST OF PHASED-ARRAYETHERED AEROSTAT BALLOON SYSTEM TO COUNTER CRUISE MISSILES, AND REMOTELY PILOTED VEHICLES (RPVS). THE SECOND FHASE WOULD ADD AN AIRBORNE HIGH-ENERGY LASER (HEL) SYSTEM.
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