Prijzige 'Iron Dome' raketafweer is zijn geld waard tegen Gaza aanvallen

 

Het Iron Dome raketafweer systeem blijkt bijzonder effectief, maar is ook kostbaar. Hier spreekt men van 40.000 Dollar, elders las ik zelfs 70.000 Dollar per hit. Aangezien een Grad raket maar enkele honderden tot duizenden dollars kost, is dat dus wel lucratief voor de terroristen. Het laat zien dat Israel veel om de eigen bevolking geeft door dit geld uit te geven aan bescherming. Ook de schuilkelders en safe rooms die ieder huis verplicht moet hebben kosten natuurlijk het nodige. Ondertussen hopen sommigen wel dat het systeem zich uiteindelijk terug zal betalen door export naar andere landen. 

 

RP

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'Iron Dome will eventually pay for itself'

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4054537,00.html  

 

Published:

04.10.11, 10:07

  

Military hopes success of new anti-missile system in south will propel future sales, export to other countries, balance operational costs

Udi Etzion 

 

The Iron Dome system has proven its worth over the weekend, intercepting rockets fired at southern Israel by Gaza terror groups, but some have already voiced concerns that over time – and if it is forced into very frequent use due to Hamas fire, its costly operation may eventually lead to a financial attrition of the defense budget. 

 

While the actual operational costs of Iron Dome remain classified, numbers released suggest each interception costs about $40,000. According to that math, the weekend's eight successful interception cost the IDF some $320,000, or NIS 1.1 million. 

 

Such costs, according to a Sunday report in Yedioth Ahronoth, are relatively low for a missile defense system, but is still significantly high compared to the costs of Qassam and Grad rockets, which range from a few hundred dollars, to a few thousand dollars.

Security sources have voiced some concerns that should Hamas pursue massive rocker fire, Iron Dome's operational costs will skyrocket, severely straining the defense budget.

But not all is grim: Iron Dome's success is likely to prevent extensive infrastructure damage, on top of its lifesaving activity, and the defense establishment hopes to propel this success into sales opportunities.

The system's effectiveness is likely to lead to purchases by other countries facing the threat of rocket fire, which will, in turn, balance operational costs and may even cheapen them.

According to several foreign media reports, the defense establishment already has its first Iron Dome export contact, with Singapore.