Israeli army launches Raz radar system to take on rocket, artillery fire
09 Oct 2009
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has announced the launch of the Raz Radar System, which will enhance the IDF's ability to anticipate, and react, to high-trajectory weapons.
Eight years in development, the system is expected to be fully operational by 2010.
''The system will be able to identify rocket fire, pinpoint its origin and accurately triangulate landing sites,'' said Lt Col Moshe Kipnis, head of the Raz project.
''Existing systems can identify rocket fire within an 18-30-mile range. The new system will allow us to triple that,'' said chief artillery officer Brig Gen David Savisa.
Operational clearance for the system was achieved in July, after months of rigorous testing in the Negev area. According to IDF sources, the experiments tested Raz system's ability to take on hundreds of varieties of rockets. According to Lt Col Kipnis, the system, ''...lived up to all our expectations.''
The Israel army has been working on the system along with ALTA, an Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary.