Israel's main arms manufacturer, Israel Military Industries (IMI), has announced the creation of the country's first surface-to-surface missile, Jane's Defence Weekly reported on Tuesday.The new weapon, an adaptation of the air-launched Delilah cruise missile, would be able to reach all nearby capitals including Damascus and Beirut, but not Israel's main regional rival Iran, according to the military publishers.
IMI said the Delilah-GL missile had a range of 250 kilometers (150 miles) but Israeli defence sources told Jane's that it went "well beyond 300 kilometers".
The report by the British military publication, which will be published in its magazine on June 16, said Israel has long sought to acquire the capability to fire cruise missiles from land. This is the first time Israel has publicly acknowledged its ability to do so.
IMI and Israel would not comment on the missile's payload capacity, but the Delilah air-to-surface missile on which it is based can carry up to a 30-kilogram (66-pound) high-explosive warhead or a range of other payloads.
The Jewish state is also reportedly seeking to develop longer-range cruise missiles which could be deployed from submarines, Jane's said.
All rights reserved. Copyright 2003 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.
Quick Links
SpaceWar
Search SpaceWar
Subscribe To SpaceWar Express
