It won't be easy attacking Iran

Here you have an interesting blog about the issue that a friend of mine sent me on Facebook: http://angrybear.blogspot.com/2009/07/joe-biden-map-office-is-calling.html The article is OK, but the interesting part is the comments (even thought the exadurate the payload of the Eitan that is around 1000 Kg): The Eitan payload is not negligible at at. If some Eitans are used to refuel the others, an Eitan can carry a 2,000+ Kg bomb. Israel has the technology to deply those accurately from 40,000 feet. A simple GPS gudiance system would do. A simple calculation would allow launching the weapons so that they hit the target almost simultaneously. Furthermore, since these planes are unmanned and also manufactured in Israel, Israel has the capability to send tens or hundreds of them on one critical mission. In addition, Israel may not have an aircraft carrier, but UAVs can be launched from much more smaller ships. Israel could launch a wave of UAVs at Iran from a few "merchant" ships in the Indian Ocean. The simplest form of argument is to ignore completely any evidence that does not fit your theory. The Times is a repected newspaper that doesn't publish on a whim. Of course the Israeli government would deny it. They do not want to compromise the Saudis. Israel is playing a delicate game with Iran and people like you. If Iran is not convinced Israel can attack, Israel will eventually have to attack. That is why there was a leak to the Times. It is interesting that basically the same arguments that were put forward before Israel bombed the Iraqi reactor are put forward now. People never learn. ----------------- First, my whole point is that you do not even need to fly over Saudi Arabia or Iraq to attack Iran. Second, how would Iran know over which countries the Israeli planes flew to get to it? Again, you are underestimating Israel and its electronic warfare capabilities. Israel attacked the nuclear plant inside Syria without the Syrian radars even picking up the planes. Both Israel and Saudi would deny that Israeli planes flew over Saudi. How would the Iranians or anybody else prove it? A coordinated attack of a about 50 manned aircraft and hundreds of UAVs will bring down the Iranian nuclear effort. Of course, only after Israel attacks you will believe. Thank goodness that the Arabs think like you and have always understimated Israel and its capabilities. The downside is that people like you undemine Israel's deterrnece and therefore make war much more likely. ------------- Cordesman, the so called expert, does not even mention the Eitan in his report. He only mentions UAVs in defense contexts against ballistic missiles. His report lacks any imagination. Furthermore, we are talking large numbers of UAVs and serious electronic warfare. This is not something the Iranians can handle, especially with the UAVs flying at 40,000 feet. Nobody thought Israel would beat the Arab armies in 6 days, free its hostages in Entebe or bomb the Iraqi reactor. It was also lack of imagination that led to 9/11. Everybody thought that Bin-Laden could do it or would do it. Israel has also committed the sin of lack of imagination, with 1973 being a prime example. Here are the facts: 1) Israel is only second to the US in electronic warfare with Israel selling such systems to India, Australia and even China if not for a US veto. 2) Israel was the first to perfect the use of UAVs in battle and exports tons of them per year. The Eitan can fly to iran and back without any problems. 3) Israel has been planning for an attack on Iran for years. 4) There are reports from respectable newspapers that the Saudis are on board. 5) Israel successfully attacked an advanced Russian system in Syria without the system ever detecting its planes. It is clear to me that all you need to employ is a little imagination to see that Israel can strike effectively at Iran. Do you think Israel will publish all the capabilitis of its UAVs? Or agreements it has with other neighbors of Iran (not Saudis)? Use your imagination. Here you can find more info about the Eitan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IAI_Eitan And this from Paris Air Show 2007: http://defense-update.com/events/2007/summary/parisairshow07uav.htm Israel unveiled two new unmanned aircraft designed for long endurance missions. MALAT, IAI's Unmanned Systems Division introduced the Heron TP Medium Altitude Long Endurance MALE UAV Platform, developed for the Israel Air Force and for export. Elbit Systems introduced the Hermes 900, the latest member of the Hermes family of UAVs. Eitan, a potential competitor to the Predator B also made its debut at the airshow. Eitan (also known as Heron TP) is the largest UAV ever built in Israel. It is designed to operate at altitudes up to 45,000 ft, on missions extending beyond 36 hours, carrying mission payloads of up to one ton. In the future, Eitan could be equipped with aerial refueling receptacles and fuel offloading systems to perform 'buddy refueling' between two UAVs, therefore extending the platforms mission endurance to very long duration. The IAI/Heron, also displayed here, represented another version of an operational system, as operated by the Indian and Israeli Air Forces, as a multi-payload MALE platform. The Heron commonly uses two EO payloads and additional n COMINT, ELINT and SIGINT systems. The platform can also replace one of the EO turrets, clearing space for a maritime search radar or SAR. Another Heron derivative, the French SDIM was also on displayed at the EADS static park. SDIM (Temporary MALE system) has just completed a full test campaign at the French MOD test flight center. The French Air Force acquired three air vehicles. The tests included 18 flights logging over 100 hours, conducted by two drones between October 2006 and March 2007. The French Air Force is scheduled to take delivery of the new system by early 2008. By 2014 France is planning to field a follow-on MALE system, to be based on a new platform developed under cooperation with Germany and Sweden. The Watchkeeper UAV built by Elbit Systems and Thales for the British forces is also maturing. In recent months, the WK-450 (now designated Hermes 450B) was reshaped to accommodate specific British requirements. Its fuselage diameter grew by 30 cm, allowing more space and payload capacity adding 200 pounds for more fuel and systems. The WK-450 was displayed at the Thales outdoor exhibit, where visitors could also see the ground control segment. Some of the advanced applications developed for the system were also displayed. Elbit Systems also unveiled Hermes's big brother - the new Hermes 900. It is currently under development, with first flight expected in late 2007. Designed as a top tier tactical UAV, Hermes 900 will assume many of the missions of MALE platforms, while retaining the ground support and commonality of current Hermes tactical UAV units. With a typical payload capacity of 300 kg, Hermes 900 can easily carry multiple payloads as well as external stores. Elbit did not elaborate on the types of such stores, but among the items that could be considered are suitable guided weapons, cargo dispensers or air-deployable mini UAVs (a concept first utilized by the Finder UAV). Below is an interesting Quote from this month's "Foreign Affairs" magazine article entitled "The Pentagon's Wasting Assests". (Basically a right wing article lamenting dwindling American military power). ================================= "In the summer of 2002, the Pentagon conducted its largest war-gaming exercise since the end of the Cold War. Called Millennium Challenge 2002, it pitted the United States against an "unnamed Persian Gulf military" meant to be a stand-in for Iran. The outcome was disquieting: what many expected to be yet another demonstration of the United States' military might turned out to be anything but. The "Iranian" forces, led by retired Marine Corps Lieutenant General Paul Van Riper, successfully countered the U.S. forces at every turn. The U.S. fleet that steamed into the Persian Gulf found itself subjected to a surprise attack by swarms of Iranian suicide vessels and antiship cruise missiles (ASCMs). Well over half the U.S. ships were sunk or otherwise put out of action in what would have been the United States' worst naval disaster since Pearl Harbor. Meanwhile, Van Riper kept his Iranian cruise and ballistic missile forces on the move, frustrating the U.S. commanders' efforts to track and destroy them. Rather than turn his air-defense radars on and expose them to prompt destruction from U.S. aircraft armed with antiradiation missiles, Van Riper left his units' systems turned off. Since no one could be sure of where the Iranian defenses were positioned, it was risky for U.S. cargo aircraft to land and resupply the U.S. ground forces that had deployed on Iranian soil. See: http://snuffysmithsblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/pentagons-wasting-assets-eroding.html "Your silence will not protect you" - Audre Lorde