Israel Stocking up on Missiles, Munitions: $1.33B

Hellfire II On Oct 29/07, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced [PDF] Israel’s formal request for a wide variety of missiles and ammunition. Previous orders have outfitted its air force for air-air and air-ground combat. While many of this order’s missiles are likely to find themselves aboard Israeli helicopters, this is not exclusively true, and the overall picture is one of rebuilding ammunition stocks for the ground forces and their supporting arms. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $1.329 billion. Specific items requested include: TOW-2A cutaway(click to view full) 2,000 Radio Frequency (RF) TOW 2A Missiles. Unlike past versions, the TOW2 RF uses encrypted radio signals for guidance – instead of a guidance wire trailing behind that can be cut by obstacles, and provides a useful trail for enemy infantry to follow when fired from the ground. The TOW 2A is an improved version of the original Tube-launched Optically-tracked Wire-guided missile that’s designed for “bunker busting” attacks on fortifications, bunkers and urban structures. It can also defeat reactive armor if used against tanks et. al., and has a range of 3,750m. 14 RF TOW 2A Fly-to-buy Missiles. Think of them as a […]