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ISRAEL TO USE DRONES IN AZERBAIJAN FOR POSSIBLE IRAN STRIKE - THE SUNDAY TIMES.
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2012/12/03/israel-azerbaijan-iran-strike/
03.12.12
Israel plans to use unmanned drones it deployed in Azerbaijan to
preemptively strike Iranian missile sites in the event of a war,
the Xinhua news agency reported citing the Sunday Times.
The report comes amid mounting speculations that Israel may launch a
military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities next year, in which case
the latter would retaliate by firing Shahab-3 and other long-range
missiles at the Jewish state, while Lebanese militia Hezbollah and
Gaza militants would follow suit.
Ahead of a possible strike, Heron drones armed with Hellfire missiles
would take out the missiles before they leave the ground, the paper
said.
According to the report, the Nevatim airbase in Israel's Negev desert
houses a US-made X-band radar capable of detecting Iranian missiles
loaded on launching pads 1,000 miles to the northeast, giving the
Israelis 13 minutes' early warning.
"We'll try to 'kill' them at the booster stage, the moment their
engines are ignited," the newspaper quoted "a well-informed" Israeli
military source as saying.
"If that happens, and it isn't as easy as it sounds, then the
remaining missiles will be finished off by our Air Defense Command,"
the source said.
Israel denies having armed UAVs, known in the US military as Predator
or hunter-killer drones, but independent experts say it has used such
hardware on numerous occasions, including to strike targets far beyond
its borders, such as arms convoys bound for the Gaza Strip.
Several reports over the past year have suggested that Azerbaijan,
located beside the Caspian Sea and bordering Iran from the north,
is slated to play a pivotal role in an Israeli airstrike on Tehran's
nuclear program -- whether as a safe haven from which Israeli jets
could take off and land for refueling, or for ground operations to
rescue downed pilots and drone strikes.
Both Israeli and Azeri officials have dismissed the reports.
The Heron TP II drone, delivered to the Israel Air Force in February
2010 and reportedly slated to attack the Iranian missiles, is a
fourth-generation, all-weather craft with a cruising altitude of
14,000 meters.
With a wingspan of 26 meters, the size of a Boeing 737, it can carry
nearly 5 tons of payload and remain aloft for 36 hours. Its range is
classified, but Israel Aerospace Industries, which developed the craft,
has previously said its linkup to satellite communication enables it
to fly great distances and reach any country in the region.
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2012/12/03/israel-azerbaijan-iran-strike/
03.12.12
Israel plans to use unmanned drones it deployed in Azerbaijan to
preemptively strike Iranian missile sites in the event of a war,
the Xinhua news agency reported citing the Sunday Times.
The report comes amid mounting speculations that Israel may launch a
military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities next year, in which case
the latter would retaliate by firing Shahab-3 and other long-range
missiles at the Jewish state, while Lebanese militia Hezbollah and
Gaza militants would follow suit.
Ahead of a possible strike, Heron drones armed with Hellfire missiles
would take out the missiles before they leave the ground, the paper
said.
According to the report, the Nevatim airbase in Israel's Negev desert
houses a US-made X-band radar capable of detecting Iranian missiles
loaded on launching pads 1,000 miles to the northeast, giving the
Israelis 13 minutes' early warning.
"We'll try to 'kill' them at the booster stage, the moment their
engines are ignited," the newspaper quoted "a well-informed" Israeli
military source as saying.
"If that happens, and it isn't as easy as it sounds, then the
remaining missiles will be finished off by our Air Defense Command,"
the source said.
Israel denies having armed UAVs, known in the US military as Predator
or hunter-killer drones, but independent experts say it has used such
hardware on numerous occasions, including to strike targets far beyond
its borders, such as arms convoys bound for the Gaza Strip.
Several reports over the past year have suggested that Azerbaijan,
located beside the Caspian Sea and bordering Iran from the north,
is slated to play a pivotal role in an Israeli airstrike on Tehran's
nuclear program -- whether as a safe haven from which Israeli jets
could take off and land for refueling, or for ground operations to
rescue downed pilots and drone strikes.
Both Israeli and Azeri officials have dismissed the reports.
The Heron TP II drone, delivered to the Israel Air Force in February
2010 and reportedly slated to attack the Iranian missiles, is a
fourth-generation, all-weather craft with a cruising altitude of
14,000 meters.
With a wingspan of 26 meters, the size of a Boeing 737, it can carry
nearly 5 tons of payload and remain aloft for 36 hours. Its range is
classified, but Israel Aerospace Industries, which developed the craft,
has previously said its linkup to satellite communication enables it
to fly great distances and reach any country in the region.