Azerbaijan to Purchase Israeli Iron Dome Air Defense System

Sputnik News

14:11 17.12.2016

Baku and Tel Aviv had signed an agreement on procurement of the Israeli Iron Dome air defense system, Azerbaijani Defense Industry Minister Yavar Jamalov said on Saturday.

BAKU (Sputnik) – The Iron Dome, developed by the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems LTD, is an air defense system made to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances up to 70 km (43 miles).

The system in use since 2011 to protect Israel from outside attacks, and was used in the summer 2014 50-day military campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"The Azerbaijani Defense Industry Ministry and the relevant Israeli body have reached the agreement on procurement of the Israeli Iron Dome air defense system," Jamalov said as quoted by the APA news agency.

Earlier in December, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that Baku and Tel Aviv had signed contracts worth $5 billion over the years of defense cooperation.

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