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Egypt’s New Rocket is Intended for Destruction of Israel, Cairo Says

July 19, 1963
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Egypt’s new ground-to-air rocket, launched this week, is intended as a weapon against Israel, according to the Egyptian Government, An announcement in today’s Cairo Information Bulletin, reported in dispatches received here today, stated openly that the type of rocket sent up July 15 “is destined for the destruction of occupied Palestine.”

Informed French newspapers reported today that Egypt will show off, on “Revolution Day,” July 23, an “array” of modern air and sea armaments created in Egypt by German scientists and technicians or acquired from the Soviet Union.

The “Independence Day” show will, reportedly, include a supersonic jet fighter, the HA-300, theoretically capable of flying at twice the speed of sound; the Russian SA-2 air rockets, seen for the first time in the last May Day parades in Communist satellite capitals; more Russian MIG-21 Jet fighters; and the Komar rocket ships of Russian make. The latter have, until now, been given by Russia only to Cuba.

One of the “Independence Day” exhibits will center about the Egyptian rockets named “All Tahir” and “Al Zafir,” These will be fired again, as they were last year. Egypt will presumably send up these rockets again to show “progress,” but the conditions under which they will be sent up will attempt to obscure judgment on whether the German technicians working for Cairo have been able to resolve basic guidance difficulties which have plagued these rockets in the past.

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