Since 1948, the state of Israel has fielded a frighteningly effective military machine.
Built on a foundation of pre-independence militias, supplied with cast-off World War
II weapons, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have enjoyed remarkable success in
the field.
In the 1960s and 1970s, both because of its unique needs and because of international
boycotts, Israel began developing its own military technologies, as well as augmenting
the best foreign tech.
Today, Israel boasts one of the most technologically advanced military stockpiles in the world,
and one of the world’s most effective workforces.
Here are the most deadly systems that the Israeli Defense Forces currently employ--the
foundation of why Israel is a military power no one wants to mess with.
Iron Dome:
The most famous weapon of the IDF which has very frequently been in the news is the Iron
Dome interceptor system.
This is a C-RAM (Counter-Rocket Artillery Mortar) missile system which uses the Tamir
interceptor missile to carry out its duty.
The reason that it is number 1 on this list is that this system is essential for protecting
Israel from the smallest threats (rockets, artillery shells, mortars) which are targeted
at civilians and it has successfully done its job over the past few years and remains
the most combat proven modern air defense system in the world.
The Tamir missile has a range of 70 km and is specifically designed to destroy short-range
rockets and artillery shells.
Sa’ar 5 corvette:
Israel has a small coastline, but it has a lot of valuable oil wells and other assets
which it needs to defend.
Its neighbours are acquiring powerful anti-ship missiles and submarines.
The Sa’ar 5 is a multi-role corvette which is designed to carry out Anti-Submarine, Anti-Surface,
and Anti-Air warfare with equal ease.
The best part of this ship is that it displaces around 1100 tons but has the firepower of
a 4000-ton frigate.
The latest upgrade includes the MF-STAR radar and the armament list includes: 1 Phalanx
CIWS, 3×2 324 mm torpedo tubes, 8 Harpoon Anti-Ship missiles, 16 Barak-8 SAM and 32
Barak-1 SAM.
Merkava:
The Merkava tank joined the IDF in 1979, replacing
the modified foreign tanks (most recently of British and American vintage) that the
Israelis had used since 1948.
Domestic design and construction avoided problems of unsteady foreign supply, while also allowing
the Israelis to focus on designs optimized for their environment, rather than for Central
Europe.
Around 1,600 Merkavas of various types have entered service, with several hundred more
still on the way.
The Merkava entered service after the great tank battles of the Middle East had ended
(at least for Israel).
Consequently, the Merkavas have often seen combat in different contexts that their designers
expected.
The United States took major steps forward with the employment of armor in Iraq and Afghanistan
(particularly in the former) in a counter-insurgency context, but the Israelis have gone even farther.
After mixed results during the Hezbollah war, the IDF, using updated Merkava IVs, has worked
hard to integrate the tanks into urban fighting.
In both of the recent Gaza wars, the IDF has used Merkavas to penetrate Palestinian positions
while active defense systems keep crews safe.
Israel has also developed modifications that enhance the Merkavas’ capabilities in urban
and low-intensity combat.
Indeed, the Merkavas have proved so useful in this regard that Israel has cancelled plans
to stop line production, despite a lack of significant foreign orders.
Arrow 3 ABM
There are several systems designed to intercept ballistic missiles.
But the least known and probably the most powerful is the Arrow 3 Anti-Ballistic Missile
(ABM) system.
This missile was developed to be more effective than the famous American MIM-104 Patriot ABM
system.
The Arrow is extremely vital for Israel’s survival as it protects them from the range
of ballistic missiles possessed by its hostile neighbors.
It is integrated with the ‘Green Pine’ radar to provide target information.
The Green Pine has a search and track range of around 400 km which can easily cover the
whole of Israel.
The Arrow 3 can intercept a ballistic missile at altitudes of over 100km and a battery of
these missiles is said to be capable of intercepting 5 ballistic missiles in 30 seconds.
Improvements over the Arrow 2 include a smaller size and 40% reduction in weight.
It is expected that the first Arrow 3 battery of 24 missiles would be deployed by 2015.
There are indications that this system can be used as an Anti-Satellite system similar
to the US SM-3 missile.
F-15I Thunder:
The Israeli Air Force has flown variants of the
F-15 since the 1970s, and has become the world’s most versatile and effective user of the Eagle.
As Tyler Rogoway’s recent story on the IAF fleet makes clear, the Israelis have perfected
the F-15 both for air supremacy and for strike purposes.
Flown by elite pilots, the F-15Is (nicknamed “thunder”) of the IAF remain the most
lethal squadron of aircraft in the Middle East.
The F-15I provides Israel with several core capabilities.
It remains an effective air-to-air combat platform, superior to the aircraft available
to Israel’s most plausible foes (although the Eurofighter Typhoons and Dassault Rafales
entering service in the Gulf, not to mention Saudi Arabia’s own force of F-15SAs, undoubtedly
would provide some competition.
But as Rogoway suggests, the Israelis have worked long and hard at turning the F-15 into
an extraordinarily effective strike platform, one capable of hitting targets with precision
at long range.
Most analysts expect that the F-15I would play a key role in any Israeli strike against
Iran, along with some of its older brethren.
Jericho III:
The earliest Israeli nuclear deterrent came in the form of the F-4 Phantom fighter-bombers
that the IAF used to such great effect in conventional missions in the War of Attrition
and the Yom Kippur War.
Soon, however, Israel determined that it required a more effective and secure deterrent, and
began to invest heavily in ballistic missiles.
The Jericho I ballistic missile entered service in the early 1970s, to eventually be replaced
by the Jericho II and Jericho III.
The Jericho III is the most advanced ballistic missile in the region, presumably (Israel
does not offer much data on its operation) capable of striking targets not only in the
Middle East, but also across Europe, Asia, and potentially North America.
The Jericho III ensures that any nuclear attack against Israel would be met with devastating
retaliation, especially as it is unlikely that Israel could be disarmed by a first strike.
Of course, given that no potential Israeli foe has nuclear weapons (or will have them
in the next decade, at least), the missiles give Jerusalem presumptive nuclear superiority
across the region.
Dolphin:
Israel acquired its first submarine, a former British “S” class, in 1958.
That submarine and others acquired in the 1960s played several important military roles,
including defense of the Israeli coastline, offensive operations against Egyptian and
Syrian shipping, and the delivery of commando teams in war and peace.
These early boats were superseded by the Gal class, and finally by the German Dolphin class
(really two separate classes related to the Type 212) boats, which are state-of-the-art
diesel-electric subs.
The role of the Dolphin class in Israel’s nuclear deterrent has almost certainly been
wildly overstated.
The ability of a diesel electric submarine to carry out deterrent patrols is starkly
limited, no matter what ordnance they carry.
However, the Dolphin remains an effective platform for all sorts of other missions required
by the IDF.
Capable of maritime reconnaissance, of sinking or otherwise interdicting enemy ships, and
also of delivering special forces to unfriendly coastlines, the Dolphins represent a major
Israeli security investment, and one of the most potentially lethal undersea forces in
the region.
The Israeli Soldier:
The technology that binds all of these other systems together is the Israeli soldier.
Since 1948 (and even before) Israel has committed the best of its human capital to the armed
forces.
The creation of fantastic soldiers, sailors, and airmen doesn’t happen by accident, and
doesn’t result simply from the enthusiasm and competence of the recruits.
The IDF has developed systems of recruitment, training, and retention that allow it to field
some of the most competent, capable soldiers in the world.
None of the technologies above work unless they have smart, dedicated, well-trained operators
to make them function at their fullest potential.