MISSILE EXPERT: NAUTILUS & ARROW NOT THE SOLUTION
im...@netvision.net.il
MISSILE EXPERT: NAUTILUS & ARROW NOT THE SOLUTION
Aaron Lerner 15 May, 1996
Uzi Sharon is an expert on missiles and military lasers. IMRA
interviewed Sharon in English on May 15, 1996.
IMRA: What are the prospects that the Arrow missile system will
protect Israel from missile attack?
Sharon: Anti-ballistic missile systems just are not the answer.
I worked on the NIKE system in America years ago. The approach was
basically abandoned because of practical considerations. In Israel
the situation is even worse. It takes fourteen minutes for a
missile launched in Iraq to hit Israel. This does not leave much
time for a response. When you take into account the velocities
involved, the many variables which effect trajectory, and the
small size of the target - as small as a meter, the odds of
consistently hitting the target are not good.
IMRA: What about costs? How does the cost of the anti-missile
missile compare to the cost of the missile it is shooting down?
Sharon: The attacking missiles cost considerably less. And the
difference is even greater when you consider that in order to
insure a hit you would have to launch several missiles against each
missile shot by the enemy. When you are talking about missiles
designed to hit a tightly defined target, that is one thing. But
if you want to use the missiles to terrorize the civilian
population and release chemical material then even a small payload
of 100 kilograms and an accuracy of 1,000 meters is acceptable and
the missiles - including launching platform and everything around
it - would cost around half a million dollars a unit.
IMRA: You say that it is difficult to hit a missile with a
missile, but haven't there been demonstrations?
Sharon: Yes, but they hit from behind and not head on.
IMRA: What about the Nautilus laser program to destroy Katyushas
with laser beams.
Sharon: When you take into account the beam spread and energy loss
in the atmosphere you would need trillions of watts in order to
stop a Katyusha with a laser. I just don't see it being workable.
IMRA: What about the proposal of putting anti-missile missiles on
platforms which hover over enemy launch sites so that you can catch
the missiles on their way up?
Sharon: That is assuming you can find the sites. Launch sites can
be hidden and it is also possible to fool monitoring satellites.
IMRA: then what is the solution to the missile threat?
Sharon: A good Air Force with good missiles and good
reconnaissance.
IMRA: They can stop the missiles from coming in?
Sharon: No, but they can guarantee an effective response.
IMRA: Mutually assured destruction?
Sharon: Yes, MAD [Mutually Assured Destruction]. Just like the
Americans had.
Dr. Aaron Lerner, Associate
IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-9O4719/Fax 972-9-911645
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