DATE=5/4/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=ISRAEL / U-S / RADAR (L ONLY)
NUMBER=2-261995
BYLINE=ROSS DUNN
DATELINE=JERUSSALEM
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Israel and the United States have developed a
powerful laser designed to shoot down incoming rockets
in mid-air. Ross Dunn in Jerusalem reports trials are
now being conducted for laser technology to be used by
Israel along its northern border to block rocket
attacks by Lebanese guerrilla fighters.
TEXT: Israel plans to deploy an advanced laser system
along its northern border to block rocket attacks by
Lebanese guerrillas, after an Israeli troop withdrawal
from southern Lebanon.
An Israeli defense ministry spokesman says the 250-
million-dollar system -- known as the Tactical High
Energy Laser -- is in the last phase of testing in
Israel and the United States.
The technology has been developed with U-S government
support to meet the needs of residents in northern
Israel.
The residents have expressed fears they will continue
to be targets of guerrilla groups in southern Lebanon,
once Israeli troops withdraw from a self-declared
security zone they established there in 1985.
The laser would be used in particular against the
militant Muslim group, Hezbollah, which frequently
fires Katyusha rockets against communities along
Israel's northern border.
Under the system, the laser beams would derive their
energy from powerful chemical reactions and destroy
incoming missiles by heating them to high
temperatures.
Successful tests have been made against stationary
targets and experiments are to be conducted against
moving Katyusha rockets.
The laser's exact power, range, and rate of firing
remain classified. But U-S and Israeli defense
officials say the laser could be fired fast enough to hit
multiple incoming missiles. (Signed)
NEB/RD/JWH/KBK
04-May-2000 13:35 PM EDT (04-May-2000 1735 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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