It was reported on Monday that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) used the new supersonic Rampage stand-off air-to-surface missiles in an airstrike that hit Iranian military targets inside Syria last Saturday.
#Israel Air Force successfully used #Rampage for first time. Due to the danger of #Syria Air Defense Force’s S-300PM-2s, #Israel Air Force had to use the rocket to target a rocket/ ballistic missile factory + weapon warehouses of #IRGC proxies in #Masyaf, #Syria on 13/04/2019: https://t.co/4YjD7ySZ5O
— Babak Taghvaee (@BabakTaghvaee) April 14, 2019
According to Syria’s SANA news agency, Israeli jets fired the missiles from Lebanese airspace at about 2:30 a.m. Saturday. The airstrike targeted a possible Iranian surface-to-surface missile factory in a Syrian base in the country’s Masyaf region. Satellite images released by Israeli intelligence firm ImageSat Intl. (ISI) showed the complete destruction of the factory.
As the twitter post stated, the factory was under the protection of an advanced Russian S-300 missile defense system. Satellite images released by ISI have showed three out of the four systems erected in Masyaf, with one launcher covered by a camouflage net.
The Rampage, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Israel Military Industry Systems (IMI), is 4.7 meters long missile and weighs 570 kilograms. It is guided by a GPS system, making it an all-weather day/night long-range air-to-ground assault missile. It carries a warhead designed for optimal penetration capabilities, allowing for the destruction of targets inside bunkers. Its rocket engine and advanced navigation suit allow for precision targeting at a range of hundreds of kilometers. The missile features an ability to control and monitor the extent of its shrapnel, which will make its strike surgical, accurate and with minimum collateral damage despite the fact the missile spends a lot of time in the air from the minute it is launched until it strikes its target. It supersonic capability makes the Rampage difficult to intercept.
The missile is designed to be launched from a fighter jet 150 km away from the target, meaning it will not be detected by the enemy’s detection and interception systems.
Source: Israel in the News
