Israeli Army Develops ‘Tammuz-4’ Missile with Electro-Optical Sensors

Streaks of light are seen from Ashkelon as Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets (Reuters)
Streaks of light are seen from Ashkelon as Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets (Reuters)
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Israeli Army Develops ‘Tammuz-4’ Missile with Electro-Optical Sensors

Streaks of light are seen from Ashkelon as Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets (Reuters)
Streaks of light are seen from Ashkelon as Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets (Reuters)

Israel's Rafael defense contractor, will unveil during the Eurosatory defense expo in Paris the sixth-generation missile "Tammuz-4," equipped with electro-optical sensors.

The company spokesman said the missile could be launched in a salvo of up to four missiles and an extended range of 50 kilometers when launched by helicopter.

The missile has a 32-kilometer range when launched from a ground-based system.

A single operator can launch up to four missiles at once, which "significantly increases the gamut of long-range targets that can be hit, and thereby strengthens the element of surprise," the company said.

The missile also has the feature of what the company called a "hand over" mode, where the rocket can be launched by one system and then controlled by another seamlessly.

"With the help of images provided by various electro-optical sensors, the missile locates the target on its own, marks it, and helps the operator neutralize it more accurately and simply," the company said.

The new features are helpful when attempting to hit a specific target among similar targets in the same area.

The first version of the missile became operational 40 years ago and is used in 39 countries.

Israel does not explicitly say that it is developing this missile for its war with Iran and its militias.

The general manager of Rafael's Land and Naval Division, Ran Gozali, said the new missile's development addresses the Israeli army's unique challenges in its next war, which will take place over long distances.

Head of the Precision Tactical Weapons Systems Division Zvi Marmor said this missile began developing after the war in October 1973, and the fourth version of it has now been invented in light of the changing challenges.

Marmor confirmed that the new missile would be displayed for the first time next week at the Eurosatory expo.



JD Vance Says US at War with Iran's Nuclear Program, Not Iran

Vice President JD Vance, speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2025, at the National Harbor, in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP)
Vice President JD Vance, speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2025, at the National Harbor, in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP)
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JD Vance Says US at War with Iran's Nuclear Program, Not Iran

Vice President JD Vance, speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2025, at the National Harbor, in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP)
Vice President JD Vance, speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2025, at the National Harbor, in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP)

Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday the US was not at war with Iran but at war with its nuclear program, adding the program had been pushed back by a very long time due to American strikes ordered by President Donald Trump.

Trump said he had "obliterated" Iran's main nuclear sites in strikes overnight with massive bunker-busting bombs, joining Israel's assault against its Middle East rival in a significant new escalation of conflict in the region.

"We're not at war with Iran. We're at war with Iran's nuclear program," Vance said in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press with Kristen Welker" show, Reuters reported.

"I think that we have really pushed their program back by a very long time. I think that it's going to be many, many years before the Iranians are going to be able to develop a nuclear weapon."

Vance accused Iran of not negotiating in good faith, which he said served as a catalyst for US strikes. The US had been in diplomatic talks with Iran about Tehran's nuclear program.

Tehran vowed to defend itself while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "gravely alarmed" by the US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites.

"We don't want a regime change," Vance added. "We do not want to protract this... We want to end the nuclear program, and then we want to talk to the Iranians about a long-term settlement here."

Vance said Trump made the final decision to strike Iran right before the strikes took place and that Washington has received some "indirect" messages from Tehran since the strikes.

Vance said the US "had no interest in boots on the ground."

Trump said on Friday he was going to decide in the next two weeks about direct US involvement in the Israel-Iran war which began with Israel's attacks on Iran on June 13. The war has raised alarm in a region already on edge since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023.

US ally Israel is the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have nuclear weapons and says it struck Iran to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.

Iran, which says its nuclear program is peaceful, is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, while Israel is not.

Many Democratic US lawmakers said Trump's actions were unconstitutional and that it was the US Congress that had the power to declare war on foreign countries.

Vance responded to that criticism by saying Trump had "clear authority to act to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction."