The Arsenal
Israeli-built weapons are part of coalition attack on Iraq.
military, the B-52 bomber, uses Israeli-
engineered Popeye air-to-surface missiles.
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Developed by Rafael, a company affiliated
with Israel's Defense Ministry, the Popeye
Tel Aviv
is among dozens of products designed or
I n addition to the profit, being in the
developed jointly by U.S. and Israeli labs.
world's technological vanguard can
It's even possible that the Israeli-designed
also yield danger.
Hunter drones are currently being used
According to senior Israeli military
against tanks firing on American troops in
officers, the threat to Israel ratcheted up a
Iraq. According to sources, U.S. Marines
few levels March 23 when Iraq's foreign
are using the Pioneer, which is of a similar
minister, Nadji Sabri, declared that "Israel is
design to the Hunter, to scout Iraqi defens-
taking part in this aggression against Iraq.
es. Both are closely related to the Predator
It's sending missiles. We found a missile, an
drone that U.S. troops used to kill six Al-
Israeli missile, in Baghdad."
Qaida operatives last November in Yemen.
Sabri offered no proof to back up the alle-
Rafael also is the designer of the Litening
gation, but news media have broadcast pic-
Targeting Pods used to fire precision
tures of missile fragments printed with the
weapons from the Marines' AV-8B Harrier
words "Made in Jerusalem."
jet, as well as F-15s and F-16s flown by the
The development raised anxiety levels in
U.S. Air Force Reserve and Army National
the Israel Defense Forces that had been low-
Guard, said Lova Drori, Rafael's director of
ered since U.S. forces seized airfields in
international marketing.
western Iraq in the early days of the war,
A decoy missile like this ITALD (Improved Tactical Air Launched Decoy),
Israeli technology continues to focus on
minimizing the chance that Iraq would be
made by Israel Military Industries, may have been found in Baghdad after
its
strengths: automation and miniaturiza-
able to fire missiles into Israel.
an American airstrike. The missile above is beneath a plane's wing.
tion. IAI is cooperating in the development
For all of Saddam Hussein's posturing, the
of a credit-card sized drone aircraft
Israeli intelligence community views him as
designed to transmit real-time battlefield images. The
chooses Israeli components, but wary of explicit
a man of his word and a rational actor. When
lightweight drone is to be fitted with sensitive minia-
mention of their use in Iraq. "All we know is that the
Saddam vowed to attack Israel before the 1991
ture cameras that will transmit the images to highly
Hunter
and
Pioneer"
unmanned
aerial
vehicles
"were
Persian Gulf War, intelligence officials believed him
mobile
palm-sized computers.
co-developed
with
and
now
utilized
by
the
American
— and he followed through.
The drone was one of several space-age inventions
Army," one cautious IAI official said on condition of
When he seemed to omit Israel from bellicose
and designs unveiled in late February at IAI's 50-year
anonymity.
speeches this winter, Israel reacted by predicting a
c
celebration. The development of the miniature drone
Israel is trying to keep a low profile in the current
"very, very low probability of an Iraqi attack."
comes as the demand for unmanned airborne vehi-
conflict, according to reserve Col. Shimon Byorski,
With American missiles wrecking buildings in
cles is skyrocketing.
former
chief
of
the
Iraq
department
at
military
intel-
Baghdad with the frequency and regularity of a
ligence.
Tying
Israel
to
the
U.S.
campaign
on
Iraq
metronome, it is likely that Iraq will dig out many
"gives Iraq options in case Saddam wishes to change
more Israeli parts from the debris. Israel is, after all,
his strategy in the future and attack Israel," Byorski
the world's third largest exporter of arms, earning
said.
$3.5 billion a year in arms sales, according to Jane's
In that case, Saddam might try to describe such
Defense Weekly.
aggression as retribution for "Israeli missiles fired at
What's more, Israeli technology is spread through-
srael's equivalent of the Red Cross — Magen
Iraq."
out the American army. Israeli high-tech materiel
According
to
Byorski,
Saddam's
only
strategy
is
David Adorn — has prepared for any emer-
purchased by America ranges from Popeye air-to-sur-
survival. While it might not serve his purposes to
gency that might arise from the war in Iraq.
face missiles to Hunter and Pioneer unmanned air-
attack Israel now — it would show that he still has
The MDA National Blood Bank is producing
craft, to computer systems on Bradley mechanized
Scud missiles and could cost him international sup-
blood plasma, gamma globulin and biochemical
vehicles.
port — using the myth of "Israeli aggression" might
antidotes to protect against smallpox, anthrax and
Israeli defense officials cringed this week when Joel
the chemical toxin ricin.
serve Saddam once the coalition's noose is closing
Johnson, a spokesman for the Aerospace Industries
The MDA National Blood Service Center moved
around
his
neck.
Association, a Washington-based industry lobby, pro-
Still,
Byorski
said,
"Right
now,
Saddam
has
no
blood-processing
equipment to an airlock shelter in
claimed that "we'll be shooting down some" French-
intention of spoiling the anti-war rallies in the U.S.
its basement.
built "Mirage 3s, I think, if the Iraqis ever come up.
MDA has distributed special radios and beepers to
and Europe by showing the world that he possesses
We may shoot them with an Israeli missile, from a
the very weapons he claims he doesn't" have.
an additional 500 volunteers in case of an attack.
U.S. warplane."
No missiles have been fired from Israel at Iraq. But
Ambulance staffs have been issued bulletproof
vests and the MDA telecommunications system will
one would be hard-pressed to separate the Israeli
Low Profile
weapons development industry from America's tools
be used for greater coordination with police and fire
departments and the Israel Defense Forces.
of war.
Officials at Israel Military Industries and Israel
— Alan Hitsky, associate editor
Even one of the venerable symbols of the American
Aircraft Industries are proud that the United States
MATTHEW GUTMAN
MDA Is Prepared
I
3/28
2003
22