Red Dawn (alert)
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The Red Dawn (Hebrew: צבע אדום, transl.: Shachar Adom) is an early warning radar system installed by the Israel Defence Forces in several towns surrounding the Gaza Strip to warn civilians of imminent attack by Qassam rockets.
The system currently operates in a number of southern Israeli cities within range of missiles fired from the Gaza strip, including Ashkelon and Sderot. It works by announcement of the Hebrew words for Red Dawn over a public address system[1]. In Sderot, it gives residents about 20 seconds of time to seek shelter before impact. Farther away, it provides approximately 90 seconds warning of an incoming missile[2].
The system was installed in Ashkelon between July 2005 and April 2006. To avoid panic, the system is currently only operated in the southern industrial zone of the city, where a number of strategic facilities are located. In Sderot, the system operates throughout the city.
In June 2006, an Israeli journalist turned the melody of the Red Dawn loudspeakers into a ring tone for mobile phones, which immediately became quite popular.
[edit] Future Plans
Red Dawn may be installed in the Sharon area of central Israel in towns which are in range of Qassam missiles from the West Bank[3] [4].
[edit] References
- ^ Christian Science Monitor"Living at Gaza's edge grows perilous, again" http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0615/p07s02-wome.html
- ^ " "Red Dawn" Early Warning System & Related Activity" http://www.weaponsurvey.com/kbase/reddawn.htm
- ^ "Preparing for Increased Rocket Attacks Following Disengagement", IsraelNationalNews, July 28, 2005
- ^ "Rockets Falling; Israel Prepares More Towns For Bombardment", IsraelNationalNews, July 28, 2005.
