Watched an interesting video in Russian, which was an interview with an Israeli construction engineer, Baruch Yarmolinsky, who says that the concept of mamads is outdated. They were initially designed in 1991 after the Gulf War when the rockets were Scuds and the high-rises were 7-10 floor tall and mamads were primarily designed against a chemical attack. Since 1991 both the buildings became taller- up to 30 floors and wars became more intense.
Based on the Ukrainian experience when several missiles hit the same building or it is attacked by a more powerful warhead the buildings catch fire and mamads would become death traps since the staircases are destroyed and there is no way to evacuate. The original function of the mamad was to protect from the blast wave and shrapnel. But even today it is evident that the window metal panes were not thick enough since we have the case when the shrapnel penetrated the window and killed a boy in Ashkelon. Shelters have always been a better protection than mamads.
Yarmolinsky suggests that they should work on a mamad staircase which would enable people to evacuate ( evacuate where to? In Ukraine they had basements, not so in Israel). Already 10 years ago he suggested that they should do a pilot mamad staircase and test it. The relevant authorities accepted the suggestion and did nothing.
I still think that mamads are not useless. They do protect against the blast wave and shrapnel and save lives. As for the intensive war, the Arrow 3/THAAD - Arrow 2 - David’s Sling and Iron Dome have been doing a good job so far. But of course, the best answer would be to destroy the threat from the Islamic Republic of Iran and with that automatically the threat from Hezbollah, from the Houthis, and reduce the one from Hamas jihadists and Palestinian Islamic Jihadists, PIJ.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijWdewOa71o
