Known as Maamin, Hebrew for "I believe", the system fixes the position from which a rocket is fired and issues a warning. Using electro-optic sensors and advanced computers, Maamin is capable of pinpointing both the location of the launch and the point where the missile will land, in a calculation lasting. less than a second.
The missile division at Rafael Israel Armament Development Authority, developed the system and a prototype was built in six weeks following an emergency request.
Maamin was developed according to specifications of the ground forces for locating snipers. Success in the development stages led to an expansion of the specifications to locating the launch sites of Qassam rockets.
According to the IDF estimates, the average flight time of a Qassam is about 30 seconds, which is long enough to seek cover, according to military sources.
The IDF expects to expand the capabilities of the system to enable an immediate response against those firing the rockets.
Rafael CEO Giora Shalgi said the system is relatively simple. He said that with a small investment of less than $10 million it would be possible to broaden the system to cover the northern border and the Gaza Strip. According to the police officers 101 Qassam rockets have been fired so far this year. Thirteen rockets were the upgraded Nasser 3, which has a longer range and larger warhead.
Residents in Jewish settlements in the Gaza strip will soon begin to benefit from a novel technology that affords residents a 15 to 20 second warning of an incoming Qassam rocket fired from Gaza.
The system, which is connected to a public address system, was used recently for the first time and observers judged it to be successful.