The U.S. Defense Department intends to ask Congress for hundreds of millions of dollars in grant funding to purchase additional Iron Dome rocket and short-range missile intercepting batteries.

Details of the planned funding package have not yet been determined, but U.S. and Israeli sources estimated that the request to Congress could exceed $500 million to cover production of up to 10 additional batteries.

Preliminary discussions were held in Washington last week between a senior Ministry of Defence representative and officials from the Office of the Secretary of Defense. An itemized Israeli request is expected to be presented to the Pentagon in the coming days, sources from both countries said.

“The Department of Defense has been in conversations with the Government of Israel about U.S. support for the acquisition of additional Iron Dome systems and intends to request an appropriate level of funding from Congress to support such acquisitions based on Israeli requirements and production capacity,” Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said in a March 27 email.

During the rocket attacks earlier this month, the Iron Dome system intercepted more than 80 percent of targeted rockets fired at southern Israel.

“The United States has previously provided $205 million in support of Israel’s Iron Dome short range rocket and mortar defense system,” Little said.

Israel has deployed three Iron Dome batteries and a fourth is in final stages of acceptance testing with the Israel Air Force’s Air Defense Command. The first two batteries were funded by Israel’s shekel-based defense budget while the $205 million appropriated by Congress last year were used to fund the third and fourth batteries as well as two additional batteries now being produced by an Israeli industrial team led by state-owned Rafael.

Israel’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, in a study last year, concluded that Israel required at least 13 Iron Dome batteries to protect populated areas from the growing rocket and short-range missile threat.

An Israeli industry source said Rafael has secured a letter of intent from Israel’s MoD for additional production pending clarification of funding pledges from Washington. He noted that Israel is capable of producing up to four batteries per year, which include a battle management system, launcher, interceptor missiles and a multimission radar by Elta Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries.

Supporting Israel is a top priority of U.S. President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Little said.

In a March 27 statement, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak praised the Pentagon’s announced commitment for additional funding support for Iron Dome.

“The American decision is an additional manifestation of the deep defense ties between the United States and Israel. I praise the American government for its strengthened support for Israel’s defense.”

Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also hailed the Pentagon’s announced decision to request additional Iron Dome funding. Berman, a co-author of the Iron Dome Support Act submitted to Congress March 21, described the Israeli intercepting system as “a game-changer.”

In a March 27 statement, Berman noted the threats Israel faces from “incoming, indiscriminate terrorist rocket attacks” that are countered “by this cutting-edge system.” According to Berman, “Iron Dome is fundamentally shifting political, diplomatic and military realities on the ground, while saving lives of innocent Israelis.”

He added that the Pentagon’s statement of additional funding support “is a further step in the right direction.

The proposed Iron Dome Support Act authorizes Obama “to provide assistance, upon request by the Government of Israel, for the procurement, maintenance and sustainment of the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system for purposes of intercepting short-range missiles launched against Israel.”

“I am pleased that the President now acknowledges the need to increase funding to counter a deadly threat, and I look forward to working together to identify the additional resources necessary to help defend our Israeli friends,” Rep. Howard McKeon, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement.

Source: Defense news

Israel and the United States have agreed to postpone a major military defense exercise scheduled for spring, Israeli public radio reported Sunday, amid rising regional tension over Iran’s nuclear program.

The air-defense drill, named "Austere Challenge 12," is expected to be the largest exercise between the two allies, who regularly hold joint military maneuvers.

The Pentagon said it was scheduled for the spring, but now would take place in the second half of 2012.

Israeli media reports originally said it was cancelled due to budgetary constraints. But some pundits speculated that the real reason was fear of creating further friction with Iran, which is showing signs of deepening isolation over its refusal to halt nuclear activity.

A U.S. official denied that tensions with Iran were a factor and an Israeli security source cited logistical problems. Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity.

"It's for a host of reasons, mainly logistical, but not the reason you cited (tensions with Iran)," the Israeli source said.

Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain John Kirby played down the delay, saying it was not uncommon for routine exercises to be postponed.

"There were a variety of factors at play in this case, but in general, leaders from both sides believe that optimum participation by all units is best achieved later in the year," Kirby said.

Israel sees the makings of a mortal threat in Iran's uranium enrichment and missile projects, and the Jewish state's leaders have not ruled out the use of military force to stop it.

Iran says its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have risen in recent weeks after U.S. President Barack Obama signed a bill on New Year's Eve that, if fully implemented, would make it impossible for most countries to pay for Iranian oil.

Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil shipping lane, if sanctions prevent it from exporting oil. The United States has said it will not tolerate such a move.

General Martin Dempsey, the top U.S. military officer, is due to travel to Tel Aviv for talks later this week in which Iran is certain to be one of the topics of discussion. It will be Dempsey's first trip there since becoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September.

In a November 30 interview with Reuters, Dempsey said he did not know whether Israel would alert the United States ahead of time if it decided to take unilateral military action against Iran. He also acknowledged differences in perspective between the United States and Israel over the best way to handle Iran and its nuclear program.

A rare look into Israel’s unmanned weapons capabilities was revealed on Tuesday with an announcement by Germany’s Rheinmetall that it had jointly developed with Israel a loitering weapons system based on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

The system, called WABEP, which in German stands for “Weapons system for standoff engagement of individual and point targets,” was developed by Rheinmetall together with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a world leader in the development of UAVs and loitering weapons.

The combined, unmanned reconnaissance and attack system developed under a collaborative program between Germany and israel has recently passed an important milestone, demonstrating the integration of two unmanned aerial systems – the Rheinmetall Defense KZO aerial reconnaissance drone and IAI’s loitering weapon – the Harop. The highlight of the test was to demonstrate the WABEP ‘system of systems’ approach – the interoperability of two unmanned aerial systems as a combined reconnaissance and strike asset, slated to become the Bundeswehr’s next unmanned air vehicle system.

This milestone, contractor trials mandated by the German ministry of defense as a critical phase of the program, demonstrated the transfer of tactical data, target information and sensor imagery between the two ground control stations of the two systems. In addition, live video was transferred from the Harop, employing data relay installed on board the KZO and a manned Opale (DA-42) aircraft. As part of the test the ‘networked’ KZO recce drone was used to map an area of responsibility, detect and identify landmarks and infrastructure installations, stationary and moving targets.

Relevant target data was transmitted to the Harop segment using a dedicated battle management network designated WABEP. In line with future operational protocols, final authorization for engagement of the target followed a target verification procedure conducted at both the ground control stations. The demonstration concluded the current phase of the testing, a follow on phase is planned with participation of the German military.

The WABEP is a combination of Rheinmetall’s KZO drone and IAI’s Harop attack drone, which according to media reports, is already in operational use in India and Turkey.

The Harop was developed as a weapon to suppress enemy radar systems used together with surface-to-air missiles or other similar high-value targets.

The Harop can fly to a designated loitering position where it searches for electromagnetic signals from surface-to-air missile batteries and then dives in to destroy them.

Source: Defense-update