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Defense systems - Israel tightens up missile shielding It was a first on the battlefield: an Israeli tank shot down an enemy missile in the air . A similar weapon system is used to protect Israeli towns from missile attacks. But critics doubt that it works. Soldiers are rarely happy to be shot at. However the army leadership in Tel Aviv seemed delighted that a Palestinian commando used a rocket launcher and attacked an Israeli tank which patrolled along the border fence. The reason: The skirmishes not far from Kibbutz Nir OS on the border with the Gaza Strip was the best advertisement for Israel's latest weapon system. "Trophy", hereinafter referred to by Israel as "Windbreaker", is an active protection system against armor piercing projectiles. A Merkava 4 tank equipped with "Trophy" in the Brigade of 401, Israel's most advanced tank unit, survived the attack. The military described the incident as a "historic moment": the tank protected itself from enemy fire in the battlefield via high speed and a thick armor. Although right now around 15 projects seek to develop an active missile defense for tanks the Gaza incident was a unique: for the first time such an active defense system in a skirmish was used. "Trophy" is regarded as the only previously operational variant: it protects vehicles against attacks from all directions, including from above - supposedly even then, when several missiles are launched at the same time at close range. The approaching projectile is collected by radar, then it is shot at and destroyed. This supposedly poses minimal risk to troops in the immediate vicinity. Fear of the home-made rockets of Hamas - Israel: High-tech systems against missiles In a mountain in Israel's North, high over the lights of the city, another Israeli high tech weapon is to be installed shortly. The commander of unit 947 of air defense will be the first of two batteries to bring "iron dome" into service. What the "windbreaker" does for Israel's tanks, the "iron dome" does for Israel's cities. According to the military, the system can mitigate system rockets and grenades with a range of 4 to 70 km. Today, missiles are the biggest threat to Israel's security. Forced to restrain itself by the United States, Jerusalem remained on standby during the first Gulf war in 1991 when Iraq shot 38 Scud missiles on the areas on the Mediterranean coast. |