Britain is looking to buy the advanced Israeli-made Rampage supersonic missile, The National can disclose.
A team of Royal Air Force officers and Defence Equipment and Support technicians are understood to have visited Israel to examine the weapon, with a view to mounting it on the Typhoon fighter jet.
Experts believe that the RAF is seeking a rapid and effective missile to help boost its “lethality” and replenish its stocks after sending a number of its Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine.
The Rampage is similarly capable of penetrating Russian-made defence systems.
The rocket-powered Rampage has the ability to fly at 2,000kph with a range of up to 300km, according to defence sources, and is near-impossible to stop.
“It is really interesting that the RAF are looking at this as they can't afford a load more Storm Shadows or can't get them quick enough so it appears they are looking around for cheaper alternatives that essentially can do a very similar job but at a better price point,” said Jeremy Binnie, Middle East editor for Janes, the defence intelligence company.
A Storm Shadow missile costs more than $3 million. While exact Rampage costs are unknown, they are understood to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Israeli air force has used the weapon with great effect on Iran missile sites and other targets in Syria, utilising its range to fire from within its own airspace without the threat of its aircraft being shot down.
A defence source told The National that the British had looked at the missile during a recent trip.
“The RAF contingent recently visited Israel to look at the Rampage and they were impressed,” the source said. “They are looking to mount it on their Typhoon fighters to give them much more firepower.”
RAF officers also examined the missile when it was displayed at the Farnborough Air Show last year.
The source added the weapon was too long to be fitted internally onto the new F-35 Lightning fighter bomber.
Rampage was adapted from a surface-to-surface artillery missile and was developed by Israel Military Industries, alongside Israel Aerospace Industries.
Its first known success was against the Iranian Masyaf missile plant, in the Hama province of Syria in 2019, where it penetrated the Russian-made S-300 missiles defences and destroyed a number of bunkers.
The 570kg missile has a 150kg warhead along with precision guidance system and anti-jamming devices that can place it within 10 metres of a target when fired.
Mounted on F-16 fighters, the same aircraft that Ukraine pilots are currently training on, the Rampage can be fired in salvos of four on missions that can destroy highly protected targets such as airbases, command posts, ammunition dumps and radar installations
With its ability to dive a supersonic speed at a steep angle, impacting on target at a velocity of 550 metres per second, the Rampage is very difficult to shoot down.
It will prove a significant boost for RAF and other Nato countries that fly the Typhoon in combating the Russian threat
“Sending four fighter jets carrying four Rampage missiles each allows us to strike under conditions we've never had before,” said Eli Reiter, head of IMI Systems’ Firepower Division.
It was not only a “a quantum leap in performance” but it had “extraordinary cost-effectiveness”, he added.
Mr Binnie argued that if Rampage is converted onto the Typhoon it would make it more attractive to overseas buyers.
“It is a relatively low cost stand-off weapon that keeps your aircraft out of range of enemy defences giving you the ability to attack key military targets in well-defended terrain,” he said.
It is understood that technicians at BAE Systems defence company could integrate the weapon onto Typhoons and have it combat-ready within a year of purchase.
However, it will not be used in Kyiv’s fight against Russia as Israel does not allow its weapons to be re-exported to Ukraine.
The RAF did not wish to comment on the visit.
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What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
How Apple's credit card works
The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
What about security?
The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.
Is it easy to use?
Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision.
* Associated Press
