Have you ever wondered how to approach the problem of intercepting missiles? Joseph D., Head of the Rafael Concern's Missile Development Department, shared with us his views on this process. It's all about right thinking, courage, and most importantly, experience.
Concern Rafael received an assignment from the Israeli Ministry of Defense to develop a system capable of withstanding the threat of short-range missiles. Just two and a half years after that, a world-class breakthrough solution in anti-missile defense was found. In April 2011, the Iron Dome intercepted nine Grad missiles fired from the Gaza Strip towards Ashkelon and Beer Sheva.
Raphael's rocket history goes back more than 50 years with the Shafrir air-to-air missile, whose development began in the late 50s, continued with the Python 3 missile (which is the next generation of Shafrir) during the Yom Kippur War.), and finally Python 4 and 5. These missiles have successfully proved themselves in real combat conditions, shooting down fighters, helicopters and other aircraft. To the arsenal of Python missiles, DERBY missiles have been added, which together form the air-to-air and anti-aircraft missile systems known as the Spider, sold to many countries around the world.
According to Yosef D., missiles of all types are united by the fact that they are structures capable of flying at speeds several times higher than the speed of sound and capable of determining their coordinates in relation to the target at any time.
To achieve this, progressive control algorithms are applied to ensure the stability of the missile's flight, and guidance algorithms are used to allow the missile to most effectively destroy the target.
Before starting the development of the Iron Dome, Raphael developed other interception systems such as the Barack 1 defense system and the Spider system.
Various companies have proposed various conceptual solutions for intercepting missiles to the Ministry of Defense. Raphael provided three solutions, with the result that the Defense Department opted for the Iron Dome.
According to Joseph, Raphael possessed the best scientific and technical base and experience in the development of missiles and missile defense systems, which gave him significant advantages in the development of the Iron Dome.
“Without a doubt,” he says, “thanks to the experience the company has gained over 50 years, we have been able to achieve all of the targets set for the Iron Dome, and even exceed them, and in a time frame that amazed many experts around the world.”
How to design a missile intercept system
During the conversation, Joseph reveals to us the process of developing a missile defense system. The story begins with the requirements for sensors, whose function is to recognize a threat - a missile launch. The sensors used by the system are based on radar technology. Modern technologies have improved the performance of sensors and reduced their cost, which made it possible to change the quality of radars and make it possible to develop the Iron Dome. Elta's radar was chosen for the Iron Dome, which was the best fit for all the requirements.
The next step was to assess the technical characteristics of a modern missile defense system based on the experience gained in the development of missiles in the company. According to Joseph, this experience made it possible to create a system with high tactical and technical characteristics and even surpass them at an early stage of development.
Then a control and monitoring system was developed, which receives information from the sensors about the launch of the rocket. Based on the data from the sensors, the system determines the place of its expected fall and decides whether to intercept or ignore the missile.
To make a decision, it was necessary to define a "defended territory" (footprint) - places that are considered strategic, and where a missile can cause significant damage. For example, important infrastructure, damage to which could lead to a significant reduction in Israel's defenses. The definition of "defended territory" may vary depending on the situation. For example, an industrial zone can be included in a "defended area" only during the day to protect workers in the industrial area, while a hospital will be treated as a "defended territory" at any time.
If the "defended territory" is not in the affected area, the system does not react to the missile. If the missile is aimed at the "defended territory", then the interception program is triggered. At this time, two things are happening: first, the system for alerting the civilian population of the air attack will be activated; secondly, the missile is intercepted.
Joseph cites the example of rockets that fell on Israel during the second Lebanese war. Of all the rockets fired at Israel, only 25% fell in populated areas. If there had been an "Iron Dome" then it would have been used only against them. Of course, such a target selection system significantly reduces the cost of interception.
Thus, we have come to the next stage of development: creating an interception algorithm. This is the calculation of the trajectory of the interceptor to successfully hit the target. At this stage, the greatest probability and the time required for the interceptor to hit the missile at a given point are calculated. The interception point is chosen as far as possible from settlements so that the population does not suffer from the fragments of the rocket after the explosion.
In order for the interceptor to be able to hit the target at a certain point, its detailed programming is necessary. This phase is called "Full Scale Development" or FSD, which defines the general requirements for the rocket and the requirements for each subsystem. "Determining the requirements for each subsystem is a real art," says Yossi. Optimizing all subsystems so that they all complement each other most efficiently at a reasonable cost is a great success.
At this stage of the program, the following key parameters are checked: maximum synchronization of all subsystems, financial costs and the time required for the system to meet the specified requirements.
From general to detail: preparation of detailed design of each component. Joseph notes that this stage was quick and everything was done in a relatively short time. Any missile consists of an engine, warhead and guidance system - components developed in the past, which significantly reduced the design and integration time of components.
Exact compliance with requirements
Further tests. At this stage, a long series of tests was carried out in order to study the effectiveness of the system and confirm that the system meets the requirements. Joseph describes the stages of the test:
• The first test is called CNT (Control & Navigation Test). Here the ability to control a missile in flight and aim it at a target is tested.
• The second Fly-By experiment, which tests the ability of the interceptor to approach the target at the distance necessary to destroy it.
• The name of the third test is "fatal". This test verifies that when the interceptor reaches the target, the target is destroyed. For systems such as the Iron Dome, there is another requirement: all explosives on the rocket must be destroyed (Hard Kill) and not reach the ground.
• The last test of the entire system. This test verifies that all system components meet the requirements.
A series of tests verifies the performance of the system under various operational scenarios. "During the first combat use of the system to protect Ashkelon and Beer Sheva," notes Joseph proudly, the Iron Dome successfully intercepted the fired missiles."
He is proud that Raphael was able to achieve unparalleled results in the world: "In just two and a half years, we managed to create a missile interception system that meets all tactical, technical and financial requirements."
“One of the American commissions, which came to assess the progress of the development of the system in its early stages, was very skeptical about its capabilities. At the end of the process, the same commission apologized for doubting our capabilities," he says. "Raphael continues to work on other systems. For example "Magic Wand" will be able not only to provide protection against modern medium and long-range missiles, but also to intercept aircraft."
The Magic Wand is in the final stages of testing at CNT. Target interception tests are scheduled for this year. Achievement of combat readiness is scheduled for 2012.
All thanks to technology
Technological advances in recent years have served as a source of inspiration for the creators of the Iron Dome and other smart systems. Modern computing systems have enormous potential for systems such as the Iron Dome. Raphael has also developed special technology to create warheads for new missiles, increasing the likelihood of hitting a target. According to Joseph, other companies in the country and in the world do not have such opportunities.
One of the most recent significant trends in the rocket industry, according to Joseph, is about a tenfold reduction in costs compared to what was previously acceptable. The next step in the development of rocketry, he predicts, is to minimize the size of the rocket. This will allow for greater efficiency and further cost savings.
Civil sector
Many believe that Israel's technological innovation is manifested mainly in unique military developments. According to Joseph, it is possible to use advanced military technology in the civilian sector, although it is rather difficult. The only possibility is to establish subsidiaries, the purpose of which will be to find civilian applications of technologies and sales markets.
So, a few years ago, Rafael created RDC (Rafael Development Corporation), a joint venture with Elron Electronic Industries Ltd. RDC has invested in start-up companies such as Given Imaging to develop a video imaging capsule that scans the gastrointestinal tract; Galil Medical offers solutions for the treatment of urological diseases and many others.
