A number of times in the current conflict on the northern border, Hezbollah used a short-range Burkan rocket laden with explosives. For example, on November 20, a Burkan rocket was fired at an IDF outpost on the northern border and caused considerable damage to the facilities. The extensive destruction to the outpost testifies to the destructive and lethal potential of this rocket, and invites consideration of ways to deal with the threat.Yehoshua Kalisky
The Burkan rocket is a simple one in terms of its structure and operation, with a maximum range of 10 km and the ability to carry a maximum load of up to 500 kg of explosive material. Developed by Hezbollah with Iranian assistance, this rocket was used for the first time in the civil war in Syria and caused much damage to property and much loss of life due to the heavy explosives charge. The rocket's ease of operation and launch, combined with the heavy explosive load, makes it, like the mortar, a popular weapon for Hezbollah.
The short range of the rocket does not allow for kinetic interception, for example with Iron Dome. Besides an offensive option, i.e., destroying the Burkan's launch trucks, another viable option for intercepting the rocket is with a laser cannon, which launches a powerful beam of light at the target in fractions of a second, "cooks" critical parts of the rocket while in flight, and causes both structural failure and its falling far from its target.
To be sure, the success of interception using a powerful laser beam depends on environmental conditions without pollution, cloudiness, or rain. Yet in any case, the IDF has ways of dealing with this weapon both on the offensive level (similar to dealing with anti-tank missile launch teams) and on the defensive level.
A number of times in the current conflict on the northern border, Hezbollah used a short-range Burkan rocket laden with explosives. For example, on November 20, a Burkan rocket was fired at an IDF outpost on the northern border and caused considerable damage to the facilities. The extensive destruction to the outpost testifies to the destructive and lethal potential of this rocket, and invites consideration of ways to deal with the threat.Yehoshua Kalisky
The Burkan rocket is a simple one in terms of its structure and operation, with a maximum range of 10 km and the ability to carry a maximum load of up to 500 kg of explosive material. Developed by Hezbollah with Iranian assistance, this rocket was used for the first time in the civil war in Syria and caused much damage to property and much loss of life due to the heavy explosives charge. The rocket's ease of operation and launch, combined with the heavy explosive load, makes it, like the mortar, a popular weapon for Hezbollah.
The short range of the rocket does not allow for kinetic interception, for example with Iron Dome. Besides an offensive option, i.e., destroying the Burkan's launch trucks, another viable option for intercepting the rocket is with a laser cannon, which launches a powerful beam of light at the target in fractions of a second, "cooks" critical parts of the rocket while in flight, and causes both structural failure and its falling far from its target.
To be sure, the success of interception using a powerful laser beam depends on environmental conditions without pollution, cloudiness, or rain. Yet in any case, the IDF has ways of dealing with this weapon both on the offensive level (similar to dealing with anti-tank missile launch teams) and on the defensive level.