IDF tank-shield ‘Windbreaker’ intercepts missile

Israel’s Merkava tank escapes missile hit thanks to IDF’s High-Tech Defense System

By Yoav Zitun

The IDF‘s Windbreaker defense system has intercepted an anti-tank missile fired at a tank in the central Gaza Strip, near Kissufim on Wednesday.

Windbreaker Courtesy: Ministry of Defense

Windbreaker Courtesy: Ministry of Defense

 

An IDF inquiry suggests that the tank shield detected a missile launch during operational activity near the border fence. No injuries were reported.

The IDF considers the firing of the missile a very unusual event. Windbreaker has rarely been called into action since becoming operational two years ago. In March 2011, it successfully intercepted an RPG rocket fired at a tank.

The system has revolutionized the battlefield where tanks face-off terrorist cells.

Lieutenant-Colonel Yoav Shukrun, Commander of the Kfir Brigade’s Haruv Battalion said that Hamas and the Islamic Jihad “are trying to drag us into a broader conflict. There is nothing innocent about cells approaching the fence and no one is doing it to forge peace with Israel.”

 

View original Ynet publication (without added YouTube clip) at: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4263283,00.html