Story ID: 455Fboro
Potent New Israeli Air-surface Missile Revealed 
By: Chris Pocock
Caption: IAI and IMI announced the Rampage, shortly before IMI’s sale to Elbit was concluded
Word Count: 344
A new supersonic air-surface missile has been developed in a partnership between Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Israel Military Industries (IMI). The state-owned companies unveiled the Rampage weapon just days before Elbit Systems announced that it had finalized the acquisition of IMI.

IAI and IMI said that the Rampage had been developed “in response to a clear operational need for a munition dropped from outside the  area protected by anti­-air [defenses].” In their statement, no range was given, nor was the guidance system specified, although it was described as a weapon that can operate in all weathers, day and night, “with no need for a ‘man-in-the-loop.’” But company officials attending last week’s Eurosatory show said that the weapon was INS and jam-resistant GPS-guided with a range of “hundreds of kilometers.”

The Rampage is 4.7 meters long and weighs 570 kg. The officials said that a combat aircraft can carry four missiles, all programmed to arrive from different directions to swamp the defenses. It was shown being released from an Israeli F-16, in what may be an artist's impression.

Eli Reiter, manager of IMI Systems firepower division, said: "The Rampage joins a family of accurate rockets, which we have been providing to advanced militaries for years." Boaz Levy, general manager and executive v-p of IAI's Rockets and Space Group, said that the weapon’s price tag “is attractive for the global market.”

IAI and IMI said that the Rampage features optimal penetration capability into protected areas without collateral damage. IMI previously developed an advanced warhead for 500-pound bombs that offers similar capabilities. The target set could include communication and command centers, air forces bases, maintenance centers, infrastructure, and valuable field targets protected by anti-­air systems, the companies said.

Elbit is paying $495 million for IMI, which has been producing precision munitions and other defense systems for air, land, and sea applications for more than eight decades. Like Elbit, it is a major exporter as well as a supplier to the Israeli defense forces.