The defense establishment, which traditionally unveils a new item in its arsenal each Independence Day, this year disclosed two locally-developed and produced weapons.
One is an improved warhead for the TOW wireguided anti-tank missile which can destroy the most modern Soviet-made tanks in the Arab arsenals. The other is a new four-barrel 290 mm. artillery rocket system mounted on a modified Centurian tank. The system can fire four Katyushas within 10 seconds, or singly, to distances of from 10 to 40 kilometers.
The first Israel-made Katyusha rockets made available to the Israeli Defense Force shortly after the 1967 Six-Day War fired short-range 240 mm. rockets. The loading of the new system has also been reduced from 45 minutes to five minutes. Both new weapons were successfully used during the Lebanon war, the Defense Ministry announced.
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