Although rockets had been used in warfare
for several centuries, their performance and reliability left much to be
desired and towards the end of the 19th century, when tube
artillery was much improved, they fell out of favor. Interest in
rocketry was renewed during World War II and it surged forward during
the Cold War. What is more, for many years, rocketry was an esoteric
field of learning, but today universities all over the world provide
courses in all aspects of the subject and hundreds of books and
thousands of papers (including the internet) are available to all and
sundry.
In their terror war against Israel the
Palestinians are not loath to use any available means. While the use of
suicide bombers by the Palestinians is effective, they can be foiled by
physical barriers. The local production of the Kassam terror rockets is
intended to circumvent the difficulties and failures of smuggling
similar weapons, and they are designed to harass Israel’s civilian
population where cross-border incursions prove difficult.
These rockets are extremely simple and
based on “kitchen table technology”, and on commercially available raw
materials, mostly chemical fertilizers, both for the propellants and the
explosives. Ease of production is a major consideration, sometimes
sacrificing even safe work practices. The Hamas would like to see its
terror rockets fulfill the same strategic role as the Hizbullah’s
rockets in Southern Lebanon. Namely, deter IDF operations against Gaza
Strip terrorists by the threat of bombardment of population centers.
For the present these are primitive weapons
of short range and poor accuracy, although capable of hitting nearby
towns in southern Israel. Unfortunately, the Israeli media often
provides information on the fall of shots, which may help the
Palestinians.
The terror organizations constantly strive to improve the range and
throw-weight of these weapons. Improvements in quality, reliability and
lethality are feasible, but at the cost of making the production
infrastructure less covert and more vulnerable. However, constant
vigilance, quick reaction and appropriate equipment will be required to
abolish this threat.
