Obama doesn't want to give us that massive ordnance penetrator to beat Iran? No problem. We Jews will just develop our own. It's called an MPR-500 guided missile.
Below are some of the highlights of the media coverage, achieved following the Airshow:
"It may look just like the regular Mk-82 500-pounder that is used the world over, but IMI’s MPR 500 is an altogether smarter beast", reports David Donald in AIN Online (15/2/2012). "Although it can be used as an unguided bomb, the MPR 500 is most effective when used with various precision guidance options, such as laser, infrared or GPS/inertial […] the weapon drives a straight path through the obstacles, virtually eliminating “J” effects that cause the warhead to deflect and explode incorrectly." (Read full article).
CNN's Dean Irvine (18/2/2012) reported that: "the selling point for this bomb is its ability to penetrate four layers of reinforced concrete." In Defense Update, Tamir Eshel (12/2/2012) addressed Boeing's approval of the bomb's compatibility with their Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kit, stating that: "The combination of IMI’s MPR 500 with Boeing’s JDAM guidance kit substantially enhances operational flexibility while reducing total ownership costs [...] making it ideal for [use against] gardened targets in dense urban areas or in close proximity to friendly troops". (Read Full Article).
StrategyPage.com (21/2/2012), stated IMI's "Bunker Buster", has joined the heavier (5000 lb) GBU-28 bombs already in service with the Israeli Air Force (IAF) – enabling more penetrator bombs to be carried per sortie. (Read Full Article).
The Palestinians’ declared readiness to forgo US aid is all the more remarkable when compared to Israel’s refusal to countenance the thought of forgoing or even cutting back the assistance it receives from the US. Whereas the Palestinian economy will collapse without US assistance, were Israel to forgo the $3b. in military assistance it receives every year from Washington, the move would have little impact on the economy.
Economic analyses of US military assistance have noted that several factors degrade the value of the aid. The US requires Israel to spend 75 percent of the assistance in the US. Israel’s inability to open its purchases to competitive bidding in the world market has forced it to pay inflated prices for much of what it buys.
So, too, by buying US weapons systems, Israel has harmed its own military industries, which are blocked from selling or developing systems for the IDF contractors.
Moreover, because the US has tied its aid to Egypt to its aid to Israel and justified its military aid to Jordan and Lebanon through its military assistance to Israel, by accepting the aid, Israel is enabling its neighbors to upgrade their military capabilities. Their upgraded military capabilities in turn force Israel to invest still more resources in its defense budget to maintain its qualitative edge against its US subsidized neighbors.
With all the hidden costs the military assistance entails, it is reasonable to discount the actual value of the aid by 50%. That is, the actual value of annual US military assistance is about $1.5b.
The direct military cost of the Second Lebanon War is estimated at $2.2b. The direct military cost of Operation Cast Lead is estimated at $1.4b. The actual costs of both wars to the Israeli economy were several times higher.
Those who claim that Israel cannot manage without US military aid ignore the fact that neither of these wars had any discernible impact on the economy.
The political cost Israel has paid for US military assistance has been astronomical. As a recent study of US military assistance by the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies demonstrated, the psychological impact of the US aid on Israeli and American leaders alike has had a disastrous impact on the relations between the two states and impaired their ability to understand the actual strategic rationale of their alliance. Israeli leaders have developed a subservient mentality towards the Americans and the Americans have forgotten that a strong Israel is the US’s most valuable strategic asset in the region.
THE PALESTINIANS’ expressed willingness to forgo their assistance from the US is no doubt a bluff. And Congress would do well to call their bluff and cancel US assistance to the PA.
Israel may be about to take another step in privatizing its military equipment suppliers. Of course, the government can't use the word 'privatizing.'
Israel’s Globes business daily newspaper reports tonight that the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Defense have agreed on a plan to merge Israel Military Industries Ltd. (IMI) with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. The plan is also endorsed by IMI’s union representatives. A formal announcement is expected by the end of the month.
In the past the ministry of Finance insisted IMI should be privatized, a procedure that was not accepted by the unions nor by the ministry of defense, which supported merging the company with one of the country’s two government owned companies – IAI or Rafael. Merging of IMI with privately held Elbit Systems also encountered opposition on privatization grounds.
Both IAI and Rafael companies expressed interest in acquiring IMI, whose portfolio closely matches both company’s activities. It is anticipated that by merging IMI’s activities within Rafael, IMI could become financially stable.
For those who don't know how things work in what's left (and it's a lot despite perceptions abroad) of our socialist paradise, government workers - like IMI's and Rafael's - get salaries and especially benefits that are far more generous than those in the private sector. And they don't want to give them up.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
