Israël France - Thales et Rafael, le missilier israélien ont réalisé en 2006 en Israël un test d’interception

 Israël France - Thales et Rafael, le missilier israélien ont réalisé en 2006 en Israël un test d’interception

Par IsraelValley - D.R..

Le groupe Thales (électronique de défense) et Rafael, le missilier israélien considéré comme le “diamant technologique” d’Israël de la défense, ont réalisé en février 2006 en Israël un test d’interception dans le Negev. (Source: Thales; diffusion March 16, 2006).

Selon notre propre analyse ce test, qui a été un succès, devrait être porteur de ventes sérieuses dans la décennie à venir pour Rafael qui devient une firme de plus en plus ouverte à l’international (Rafael est de plus en plus profitable et a eu un profit record en 2005).

Selon des sources directes de Thales, que nous avons eu pour israelvalley.com lors de notre séjour actuel à Washington, le test de missiles BARAK (lieu : Shdema) a bien eu lieu dans le Negev fin février 2006 et a bien été vécu comme un véritable succès par Thales.

Le test en question était un test d’interception de drones par un missile à une distance de 20 kilomètres (Flycatcher Mk2 – radar de surveillance). L’interception à eu lieu à une distance de 6 kilomètres.

A l’origine le missile a été produit pour des applications navales. De nombreuses armées ont déjà acheté les produits israéliens fabriqués par Rafael.

Pour en savoir plus nous reproduisons un extrait d’un communiqué obtenu par israelvalley.com :

“On 28 February 2006, Thales and Rafael achieved another milestone in the Defender system integration venture. The Defender successfully fired the BARAK missile at Shdema Test Range in the south of Israel. This latest achievement follows previous extensive integration testing and dry runs.

The live firing was against a target drone. The target was detected at a range of 20 km by the Flycatcher Mk2’s surveillance radar, and was continuously tracked by its tracking radar. When the drone was at a range of around 7 km from the Defender system, the BARAK missile was launched and guided to the target until the successful interception was achieved at a distance of 6 km. BARAK achieved a direct hit on the target, proving once again the extreme precision of the missile and the Flycatcher Mk2 control system.

The Flycatcher Mk2 command and fire control centre is the core of a hybrid, integrated layered air defence concept developed by Thales. The Flycatcher Mk2 system is able to simultaneously control both guns and missile systems.

Within the hybrid concept, Flycatcher Mk2 also controls the vertically launched BARAK Surface-to-Air missile that was developed by RAFAEL. The BARAK missile system was originally developed for naval applications and is in service with several navies around the world.”

Nous reproduisons la présentation de la firme l’agence d’information “Dun and Bradstreet” sur Rafael (copyright D&B):

RAFAEL Armament Development Authority Ltd. develops and produces state-of-the-art armaments for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Defense System, while deriving its economic strength from international sales.

The company provides innovative solutions on the technological cutting edge from underwater, naval, land and air through space systems. RAFAEL focuses on such areas as Electronic Warfare (EW), Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I), training and simulators, armor and precision guided weapon systems. The company has also formed partnerships with civilian counterparts to develop commercial applications based on its proprietary technologies. RAFAEL is the second largest government-owned defense company in Israel, and in 2004 sales amounted to $800 million with a backlog of orders worth $1.7 billion.

Qualitative Edge

RAFAEL was founded in 1948 as Israel National R&D Defense Laboratory within the Ministry of Defense, and focused initially on missile technology. Over the years, RAFAEL has developed systems for every branch of the IDF.

These systems are based on control of a wide range of technologies and extensive familiarity with the operative needs of the IDF. RAFAEL products strengthen the IDF qualitative edge, and most systems have been battlefield proven. In 2002, RAFAEL was incorporated as a government-owned company maintaining its technological state-of-the-art capabilities through extensive R&D programs.

Cooperation Partnerships

RAFAEL implements the corporate culture of forming partnerships in Israel and worldwide with leading governments, aerospace and defense companies. These partnerships bring combined strength and leverage to RAFAEL technological know-how and advanced systems.

The company is organized in four divisions, which together, provide users with complete air, naval, ground and space systems and solutions.

Missile Division

This division designs, develops and manufactures a range of guided missiles including air-to-air, air-to-surface, anti-tank missiles and electro-optical systems. Key products include the Python 5 and 4 and Derby air-to-air missiles, the Barak surface-to-air missile, Popeye and Spice air-to-ground missiles, the Litening airborne navigation and targeting pod, and the Spike family of anti-tank and multi-purpose missiles.