Iron Dome
Iron Dome is an Israeli-made air defense system designed to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles and artillery shells fired from distances of 4 to 70 kilometers. The system is highly automated to command multi-launchers to intercept over 20 incoming targets simultaneously without any pre-warning time. Each launcher, consisting of 20 interceptors, can be deployed separately and controlled by the terminal remotely and synchronously to protect a larger area. The cost of $ 50,000 per interceptor is affordable for the use in large scale too.
An Iron Dome battery typically consists of several launcher units (the payload of each consists of 20 interceptor missiles), a radar unit and a control unit. One of the Iron Dome’s distinct features is its ability to evaluate incoming threats and ignore missiles and rockets projected to land in empty areas, thus conserving its interceptors.
By 2021 there were 10 mobile Iron Dome systems in use in Israel. According to their manufacturer, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, which develops military and defense technologies for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), a single battery can protect a medium-sized city and intercept rockets fired from a maximum of 70 kilometers away. Experts calculate that 13 systems would be needed in order to defend the entire country. During Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012, some analysts speculated that the main reason Israel agreed to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with militant group Hamas was its supply of Iron Dome interceptor missiles was depleted.
An Iron Dome battery consists of a radar unit and a control center that can detect projectiles soon after their launch and calculate their trajectory and target. It takes seconds for an approaching projectile to be detected. This is crucial because depending on how far they live from the Gaza Strip, people in Israel might only have 15 to 90 seconds to get to safety when the sirens start wailing. A battery also has three or four rocket launchers with 20 missiles each should projectiles be headed toward populated areas. The interceptor missiles can be maneuvered in the air. However, they are not designed to strike an approaching projectile but to explode close by and destroy it in the process. Falling debris can, therefore, still cause considerable damage.
The Iron Dome network is designed to track and shoot down missiles fired at Israeli cities. It was fielded in April 2011. The system's intercepting missile is dubbed Tamir. The Israelis developed Iron Dome, and the United States committed more than $205 million to fielding the system. In March 2012, the U.S. Defense Department said the system was responsible for taking down 80 percent of several hundred rockets that militants in the Gaza Strip directed at Israel. The defense system was meant to block 95 percent of Qassam rockets and mortar shells fired at Sderot and Ashkelon.
Iron Dome is based on an early warning system, unique radar that detects and tracks a flying rocket, a Battlement Control System (BMC) that estimates its flight trajectory and potential hitting area, and launches a counter missile (using inter alia on-board navigation, homing and steering systems) for intercepting the oncoming rocket. The BMC updates the interceptor trajectory using the uplink communication channel. The system must operate under very tight operational constraints including, but not limited to, determining a Predicted Interception Point (PIP) at very high accuracy and operating in an extremely short time frame, as the whole flight trajectory from launch to interception may extend, in certain operational scenarios, to only a few tens of seconds. Another significant challenge of the GTG rockets' interception relates to the lethality problem: the vulnerable area of the rocket has relatively small dimensions and is surrounded by one or two layers of steel-made balls fitted into the warhead explosive. Achievement of lethal interception is possible by using the hit-to-kill technique or by hitting of the threat's warhead by the very dense beam of relatively heavy fragments (e.g. known per se tungsten fragments of at least 35-40 grams).
Iron Dome uses radar, it is active. As shown in Iron Dome , the recent availability of ultra-high-speed processors allows the computation of highly complex data in speeds approaching real-time. With fast image recognition algorithms and high-speed software, 3D ranging can be done in milliseconds. This allows equally fast (and automated) response to incoming missiles threatening major institutions in cities like New York or Washington--all the while the missiles being unaware that they being tracked and therefore less capable of taking evasive or jamming action.
Artillery rockets are commonly used and among the most difficult to detect with radar sensors. As a rule of thumb, to achieve maximum sensor performance, the sensor should be placed not farther from the protected asset than 10% of expected rocket firing range
Israel said it would need as many as 15 batteries to fully protect its citizens from attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Each battery is a cluster of three transportable components: a computerized radar detection and tracking unit; a management and control unit; and a box launcher, outfitted with about 60 missiles called interceptors. The batteries are connected to MRR radar systems developed and manufactured by Elta Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI). The Tamir interceptor is made by Rafael. These can be moved and positioned wherever they are needed. Each battery costs about $50 million and each interceptor costs as much as $100,000 [some sources estimate the cost at "only" $50,000].
The detection and tracking unit radar scans a defined sector in the sky for incoming short- to medium-range rockets, coming from up to about 60 kilometers away. A separate control unit computers quickly calculate whether that rocket will be landing in a populated area and could threaten life. It launches the intercept at anything it determines is a threat.
The system was initially designed to counter Grad and Kassam rockets with ranges of up to 40 km. A series of upgrades, software and hardware revisions by Rafael and Elta engineers, made it possible to double the system's effective interception range, enabling it to also intercept the M-75 and M-302 rockets.
One of the focus areas of the "Momentum" 2020-2024 Plan is the nationwide BMD deployment - Iron Dome will switch from battery protection to nationwide deployment of defense spaces. To be operated in the future by a unified military in routine and emergency. Alongside this, a multi-year plan for the continuous production of interceptors is planned to increase the defensive "insurance certificate" in the face of the threat of rockets on steep trajectories.
Spatial defense divisions will be upgraded to smart spaces, and through digital capabilities, connectivity and artificial intelligence will be able to identify, criminalize and alert against hostile terrorist activity. This step will enable accumulated knowledge translation in the field for short-term operational operations. The number of "smart" interceptors in Judea and Samaria is expected to grow by 2020.
Within the framework of the Plan, a "smart border" segment will be formed, with the establishment of dedicated spatial protection battalions composed of unique companies with robotics and intercepting capabilities. Robotic defense will also be implemented by unmanned tools that operate organically as part of the security service (regular security). There will also be a major emphasis on establishing the southern barrier, completing the barrier in Lebanon and promoting new capabilities in cyber defense.
In 2022 , Turkish intelligence foiled an attempt by the Mossad to kidnap a Palestinian engineer in Istanbul after he managed to obstruct the operation of a battery in the Iron Dome system, according to the Turkish newspaper Sabah 23 November 2023. Sabah newspaper reported in a report that a malfunction occurred in the work of the Iron Dome system in the years 2015-2016, and that the Al-Qassam Brigades , the military arm of the Hamas movement, exploited the malfunction by engineer Omar A., ??who was 24 years old at the time. Omar studied software engineering at the Islamic University in the Gaza Strip, worked in the Ministry of Interior in Gaza, and carried out hacking operations on smartphones based on the Android program. In 2019, Omar received an offer to work for a Norwegian software company, but he doubted the offer and rejected it. In March 2020, he moved to Istanbul via Cairo, and since then he has become an observer by the Mossad , according to the newspaper. An agent named Raed Ghazal, through a WhatsApp call and claiming to represent the French company Think Hire, tried to recruit Omar to work in this company, and the two met face to face, in June August 2021. The newspaper added that the task of recruiting Omar was transferred from Ghazal to another Mossad agent. His name is Omar Shalabi, and the two agents’ goal was to kidnap the Palestinian engineer and transfer him to Israel. Shalabi offered Omar $10,000 to write software, and the French company transferred the amount through a Mossad agent named John Foster. The newspaper added that the task of kidnapping Omar was transferred to another Mossad agent, Nicola Radoni (44 years old), last June, who met Omar in Istanbul and offered him a salary of $5,200 if he worked from Turkey, and $20,000 if he agreed to move to Brazil to work. Of which. He added that the work will be within a crew that includes people, and he mentioned their names: Abdel-Bar Muhammad Kaya, Fouad Osama Hijazi, and a Moroccan citizen named Youssef Dahmana Ghadeer, according to the newspaper. During his meeting with Omar, Radoni claimed that he had connections in the immigration department in Istanbul, and asked him to send his passport and address immediately, claiming that he would be able to get him out of Turkey. At this stage, according to the newspaper, the Turkish National Intelligence Service entered the line and made it clear to Omar not to do anything. The current Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, headed the National Intelligence Service at the time. The newspaper added that Omar traveled to Malaysia for 15 days, at the end of September last year. Before his travel, Omar received instructions from the Turkish Preventive Security Service at National Intelligence, which asked him to put an application on his phone that would allow him to know his whereabouts at any time. The newspaper added that the Mossad kidnapped Omar on September 28 in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, and interrogated him in a building 50 kilometers from the capital. The newspaper indicated that a Mossad team investigated Omar for 36 hours, including video chats from Tel Aviv, and tried to understand how the engineer was able to disable Iron Dome, which encrypted language he used, and how he hacked phones based on Android software carried by government employees and Israeli soldiers. According to the newspaper, during the Mossad team’s investigation of Omar, the Turkish National Intelligence Service used its Malaysian counterpart, who stormed the investigation site and rescued Omar. Sabah reported that 11 people were arrested in Malaysia as part of this case, and that Omar was returned to Istanbul and is staying in a secret apartment belonging to the National Intelligence Service.
Iron Dome - Program
Approved in 2004, tested in 2007 and took service in 2011, the development progress of Iron Dome was remarkably fast. Different from common defense systems like interceptor aircraft or helicopters, the system developed by Israel is mainly designed to intercept rather small-sized targets like rockets, artillery bombs, guided missiles and whose trajectories are hard to calculate.
Developed during the late 2000s by Israeli defense contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the Iron Dome was first deployed in 2011 and has since been actively used by IDF to counter rocket strikes conducted by Palestinian militants. General Dynamics is the lead US contractor, and dozens more US companies are also involved in the program. On 16 August 2011, Rafael and Raytheon announced a partnership to market Iron Dome in the United States.
Iron Dome was developed after Israel’s second war with Lebanon in 2006, when about 4,000-4,500 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon. Approximately 12,000 Israeli buildings were damaged and $2 billion worth of damage done to the Lebanese infrastructure. UN officials estimated that 43 Israeli civilians were killed and 75 seriously injured.
The Israeli MOD was trying to define a solution to the Katyusha and Kassam threat as a result of the war with Hizballah in southern Lebanon. The Nautilus laser -- which was a stationary variant -- was later referred to as the Skyguard project. Nautilus had been canceled in 2005 by the U.S. Army due to its preference for a solid-state laser. the mobile Tactical High Energy Laser (MTHEL) twas claimed to be able to address the threat posed by Katyusha and Kassam rockets. In August 2007 the US Army decided to resume the Nautilus laser project and it signed contracts with Boeing and Northrop-Grumman. The Nautilus was supposed to offer protection against Qassam rockets. But it did not work well on dusty days, and was never fielded.
In February 2007 Minister Amir Peretz announced his choice of a short-range rocket defense system developed by Rafael -- Israel's Armament Development Authority -- as the system the defense establishment will develop to defend Israel against Qassam rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. The system developed by Rafael and dubbed "Iron Dome" was planned to be capable of intercepting Qassam and Katyusha rockets with a small kinetic missile interceptor and is scheduled to be operational for deployment outside the Gaza Strip and along the northern border within two years, that is, by early 2009. But by late 2007 some Israeli defense industry officials were concerned that the lack of consistent funding may leave the home front open to rocket and missile threats from neighboring countries. In particular, the officials were quoted as saying that they were concerned about the absence of regular government funding for the Iron Dome missile interception project.
By 2008 Israel was again examining a possible purchase of an overseas anti-rocket weapons system to combat the Qassam rockets, because the Israeli-made Iron Dome system, under development at Rafael, the Armaments Development Authority, would not be operational before 2010. The Jerusalem Post quoted defense officials as saying on 26 May 2008 that Rafael Advanced Defense Systems had received special rabbinic permission to work on Shabbat.
Israel Air Force (IAF) was seeking further information on the Counter-Rocket, Artillery, Mortar (C-RAM) system, with the stated intent of looking to purchase a few of the LCMR radars, primarily to help with mortar detection and warning. They are not interested in the land-based Phalanx gun, mostly because of the difficulties inherent in deciding where to locate the guns and the psychological effect of having the sound of a gun firing off in populated areas, for example next to a school. But the C-RAM gun does not sound like a standard machine gun, but the sound is more of a buzzing sound.
On 06 August 2008 the IAF unveiled prototypes of the missile that will form the basis of two planned rocket interception systems -- Iron Dome and David's Sling.
Israel moved to develop the Iron Dome air defense system following years of fighting against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. The militants had fired thousands of short-range rockets at Israel until Operation Cast Lead in December 2008-January 2009 put an end to massive Palestinian attacks. The war claimed the lives of some 1,500 Palestinians. During a month-long war with Lebanon in the summer of 2006, militants of the Shiite armed group Hezbollah have fired some 4,000 short-range rockets at northern Israel.
On 02 March 2009 a report issued by the State Comptroller on efforts to develop a missile defense system against Qassam rockets, which the south has been desperately awaiting for eight years now, revealed a worrying picture of bureaucratic confusion, wasted money and broken rules. The bottom line: The Iron Dome system was still far from completion, and Israel still had no effective defense against short-range rockets.
By March 2009 the Israel Air Force was establishing a new anti-aircraft battalion whose task will be to learn the Iron Dome system for intercepting Qassam and Grad rockets fired from Gaza at Sderot and at the Gaza periphery communities in the western Negev. The first complete short-range missile interception "Iron Dome" system was expected to become operational as early as summer 2010. At that time the Air Force believed that within four months the anti-aircraft battalion will install the system and begin training, and in tandem, will develop a new fighting doctrine versus the launching tactics of the Palestinian terror organizations. The system should be able to handle the short-range rocket threats quite well and would also be able to deal with shells with a 155 millimeter caliber. The future task of the new battalion would be to receive the Magic Wand system now being developed that is earmarked to provide a response to medium-range rockets. Israeli security officials believed that these two systems will significantly change how Israel deals with terrorist organizations and will even prompt them to find new threats with which to attack IDF soldiers and residents of southern Israel.
The Iron Dome interceptor system developed to shoot down the short-range rockets favored by Palestinian and Lebanese guerrillas, passed its first live trial 15 July 2009. The system's success could improve the prospects of Israel eventually ceding West Bank land to the Palestinians, as Israeli officials have said that any withdrawals should be conditional on the deployment of a reliable defense against rocket attacks. But a group of experts who support the Northrop Grumman-developed Skyguard [formerly Nautilu] laser missile defense system claim that because of its slow response time, the Israeli-built Iron Dome system will not be able to protect Sderot and the Upper Galilee town of Kiryat Shmona from Qassam and Katyusha rockets.
The Israeli Defense Ministry reported in July 2010 that tests of the Iron Dome air defense system had been completed and that interceptor missiles will soon be deployed. The final tests of the Israeli air defense system designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells were successfully carried out on 20 July 2010, the ministry said in a statement. First Iron Dome interceptor missiles were expected to be deployed by November 2010. The cost of a single Iron Dome missile launch is estimated at tens of thousands of dollars, while a single launch of a Qassam rocket is ten times cheaper. President Obama secured an additional $205 million in FY 2011 to help produce the Israeli-developed Iron Dome short-range rocket defense system, which helped defend Israeli communities against rocket attacks by successfully striking rockets as they are fired at Israeli civilians.
Ha'aretz editorialized 05 February 2010 "Barack Obama and other dignified guests have been taken to Sderot to witness the town's suffering under Qassam barrages. But the townspeople's expectations that they would be the first to be protected by Iron Dome have been shattered. Now our defense chiefs are telling them that a situational evaluation will be necessary to figure out where to put the system. The mutual backslapping over the system's success and the fight over who deserves the credit have given way to mutual accusations and complaints.... The cost of producing launchers and missiles against cheap rockets is extremely high. We need money for building attack forces, protecting civilians and other defense measures, not just Iron Dome. The dilemma is more real than its packaging. Israelis deserve not merely defense, but a leadership that speaks to them seriously, without spreading illusions."
Iron Dome was initially deployed operationally on the border with the Gaza Strip, where it was used against Palestinian Kassam and Grad rockets. The Israeli military estimated the system has intercepted hundreds of incoming rockets fired at residential areas. As of mid-2012 the army had four batteries but hoped to deploy another two in the near future.
In July 2012, President Barack Obama signed a law providing another $70 million to field more batteries in fiscal year 2012. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak visited August 1, 2012 with Israeli air force personnel protecting Ashkelon from terrorist attacks. The city is less than 10 miles away from Gaza, and terrorists there have launched hundreds of missiles and mortar rounds into Israel. During a joint news conference with Barak at the battery, Panetta said Iron Dome “has been a game changer for Israel’s security. It has saved Israeli lives.” Barak said it had a more than 80 percent success rate.
Israel had additional requirements for the Iron Dome shortrange rocket and mortar defense system that will be executed over 4 years with a total cost of $680,000,000. The Department submitted a reprogramming for $70,000,000 to fund the fiscal year 2012 requirement. Another $211,000,000 can be executed in fiscal year 2013.
In July 2014, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. delivered the seventh Iron Dome batter to the IDF. On 01 August 2014 the US Congress approved $225 million in emergency funding for Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system, sending the measure to President Barack Obama to be signed into law. The House vote was 395 to 8.
Israel was looking to build on the success of its Iron Dome, used during the Gaza War, by creating a maritime version. The developers say it boasts a 360-degree range and can fire a missile every second. The architect of the new program, Rafael, an Israeli state owned defense contractor, is looking to find buyers for its new sea-based missile system. They believe it could be especially effective in trying to defend and protect economic assets at sea, such as oil and gas platforms.
The C-Dome was unveiled at the Euronaval conference in Le Bourget in October 2014. The maritime system uses similar technology to the land version. The trajectory of an incoming missile is recognized and a counter missile is launched to intercept it. The makers of the defense program say that their new system, ‘C-Dome’, can fire a missile per second, and cover a 360-degree range.
"C-dome offers something that is not out there (in the market) yet ... A small footprint and the capability to engage multiple targets and saturation threats. And it's based on the only system in the world that has more than 1,000 intercepts," said program director Ari Sacher, as reported by AP. "We can protect the ship from every direction at the same time. Most systems out there can't do that."
The Hebrew newspaper "Maariv" said on 28 February 2024 that the US administration has opened an investigation into the activities of an Israeli company involved in manufacturing parts designated for the "Iron Dome" system, and it may lead to the imposition of sanctions on it, as the grants obtained by the aforementioned Israeli company constitute government support prohibited according to American law. The newspaper explained that the investigation targets the "Finkelstein Metals" company, based in the industrial zone in the northern city of Afula, which is a major supplier for the manufacture of the "Iron Dome" system, which is manufactured by "Rafael Systems for Advanced Defense Industries."
The newspaper stated, “The American administration has begun an unprecedented legal process aimed at investigating the company because it receives American aid, because it is located in one of the development zones in Israel, which enjoys great advantages in terms of customs exemptions and support for manufacturing operations, etc., which has enabled it to market its products within the United States. However, they supply the products at inflated prices.”
The newspaper pointed out that the company has about 3% of the market share in the United States, yet this share represents about 75% of its sales volume, which “contradicts the trade agreement signed between the two countries decades ago.” Israeli sources told the Jerusalem Post that “the American decision regarding investigations and sanctions against the company is unclear,” and that “the volume of the company’s business within the United States is limited when compared to the volume of complaints filed against it.”
American authorities imposed sanctions and customs duties on the company, which means affecting its ability to operate regularly. It warned of "the threat to the supply operations required for local security industries," stressing that "the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Federation of Industries entered the crisis line to try to clarify the circumstances." Finkelstein Metals is one of the vital companies in the Israeli industrial system, and it is the only one in Israel that produces copper and bronze alloys, and Israeli companies operating in the defense industries depend on it.
The company is the exclusive and sole supplier of metal rods to Rafael Advanced Defense Industries Systems, which uses them in the manufacture of missiles for the Iron Dome system. Recently, American sanctions on Israelis and Israeli companies had become more familiar, as Washington imposed sanctions on settlers in the West Bank who systematically attack Palestinians, and as a result restricted their bank accounts.
Iron Dome - Combat
Israel possessed 10 Iron Dome batteries as of 2023, each equipped with 3 launchers. Firing 20 ground-to-air missiles per launcher, totaling 600 missiles, the system faces challenges tracking simultaneous rocket launches due to the time needed for reloading. In the initial 20 minutes of the Al-Aqsa Storm operation on October 7, Palestinian groups launched over 5,000 rockets into occupied territories, successfully bypassing the Iron Dome's defensive shield.
The massive attack launched by Hamas militants against Israel on 07 October 2023 was accompanied by a series of rocket launches, many of which managed to bypass Israeli defenses and hit their targets. Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system is widely regarded as one of the best in the world. That said, it apparently failed to completely negate the Palestinian rocket barrage.
Forty days into the Al-Aqsa Storm operation, new details emerged about a significant blow dealt by Hamas to the Zionist regime, specifically targeting the Iron Dome defense system. The details underscore the scale of the Palestinian resistance movement's assault from the beginning, shedding light on the impact on the Iron Dome defense system.
Israel's vital short-range air defense system, the Iron Dome, designed to counter rockets and drones from resistance groups, has vulnerabilities that were effectively exploited by the resistance on October 7 during rocket operations. Despite its distinctive qualities, this pricey defense system does have some vulnerabilities, and these were effectively capitalized on by resistance groups, particularly on October 7, during their rocket operations.
Contrastingly, the radar system in the Iron Dome automatically identifies, tracks, and detects the characteristics of incoming hostile rockets (although the decision to fire is ultimately made by human operators). Since day one, and even prior to that, resistance groups have been involved in hacking into some of these systems. Even after several days of the conflict, certain Iron Dome systems continue to experience issues with missile launches. Lately, there have been multiple releases of images showing significant deviations of Tamir missiles and the resulting ground impact causing damage. This problem stems from recent cyberattacks by resistance forces against the system.
Adding to these incidents, there's another event from October 7 that, more than a month after, new information has come to light about – the killing of certain operators within the Iron Dome system. Each Iron Dome system is equipped with a protection unit to ensure the safety of operators and the system itself. During the October 7 attack, some teams from resistance groups specifically targeted these systems. In another operation, they encountered personnel within the systems, resulting in casualties and the capture of others.
Sohr Saoodiyan, the unit commander, Benjamin Gabriel Yuna, and Nati Kutsero, the launcher operator, all three from the 947th Battalion, are confirmed casualties of this attack. Interestingly, moments after the start of the resistance groups' attacks, there were no warnings indicating readiness given by the Israeli army to any of the Iron Dome units. The operating forces were taken by surprise by the attacks by the Palestinian fighters.
Commenting on this failure, Russian military historian and Museum of Air Defense Forces’ Director Yuri Knutov pointed out that while Iron Dome is a very advanced and sophisticated air defense system, it has drawbacks that can be exploited by any enemy. For one, a single Iron Dome battery can protect a relatively small area (about 150 square kilometers). Secondly, Knutov noted, Iron Dome is extremely effective when dealing with a small number of incoming targets all of which approach from the same direction.
Hamas militants deliberately launched mass rocket salvos from different directions, apparently in order to overwhelm the Israeli Iron Dome defenses. “When it (an Iron Dome system) intercepts the first salvo, when it is dealing with those rockets, it is unable to deal with the second salvo that was fired practically a minute after the first one. And so the rockets from the second, third and fourth salvos reach their targets practically unopposed,” he said, arguing that this tactic essentially capitalizes on Iron Dome’s “inefficiency.”
Furthermore, a single Iron Dome interceptor missile costs at least $20,000 while Palestinian jury-rigged rockets – the threat Iron Dome systems usually have to deal with – cost only about $2,000-$3,000 apiece, Knutov added. Knutov did, however, note that Iron Dome can determine whether an incoming missile poses a threat to a populated area or a military facility and refrain from wasting ammo on a projectile that would otherwise crash in a deserted area.
Reports continue daily of the Israeli Iron Dome intercepting rockets from the Palestinian resistance and Lebanese Hezbollah , while sirens sound and residents immediately head to armored shelters. But there is a category of the population outside the scope of protection and warning, who are not covered by Iron Dome and do not have shelters in which they can protect themselves from missiles.
Al Jazeera Net tells the stories of villages in the 1948 territories under Israeli control, where their residents complain of being deprived of the means and precautions taken by the authorities in times of war. Since the beginning of the Battle of Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, Palestinian resistance rockets have been falling in the villages of the Negev region , which are classified as 1948 lands that are completely under Israel’s control.
These missiles led to the death of 7 Palestinians in the Negev and the destruction of 50 homes, in light of the Iron Dome system not covering these villages and the absence of shelters or an early warning system in them. The residents of these villages say that the main reasons behind these human and material losses are due to the Israeli occupation, starting with its deprivation of recognition from 49 Palestinian Arab villages in the Negev region, even though the residents of these villages hold Israeli citizenship.
Due to the lack of recognition, Israel does not provide any infrastructure for these villages, which are inhabited by more than 150,000 Palestinians. They do not have a transportation network, electricity, water, or Internet, and there are no shelters for the residents of these villages to take refuge in if they hear the sound of sirens far away from the towns. Neighboring Judaism, which has shelters and means of warning, warning and prevention.
The Iron Dome operates according to a mechanism that studies the location of the missile’s fall within several seconds. If it becomes clear that it will fall in a populated area, the Dome missile is launched to intercept it. If it becomes clear that it will fall in an open area, the Iron Dome leaves it to its destination without objection.
According to Israel's official view, these areas in the Iron Dome system are defined as open, empty areas, which means that missiles fall there without interception.
Iron Dome is designed to intercept short-range rockets and is used to complement other systems that Israel also uses. The head of the Israel Missile Defense Organization, Moshe Patel, said more than 2,400 projectiles had been intercepted in the 10 years through January 2021. According to Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, more than 2,500 had been intercepted — with a 90% success rate.
Israel said 17 September 2016 that it had used its "Iron Dome" missile defense system to destroy two rockets fired from Syria, marking what officials said was the first time the short-range system had been activated to intercept projectiles fired by combatants in Syria's civil war. Israeli media quoted military officials as describing the rocket fire into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights as "unintentional spillover" from the war. There were no reports of casualties from the shoot-downs. Israel had sought to avoid direct involvement in the Syrian conflict, but it launched airstrikes on cross-border military targets as recently as 13 September 2016, after warheads fell in the Israeli-occupied zone. Shortly after those strikes, the Israeli military denied Syrian claims that one Israeli fighter and a drone had been shot down.
In August 2012 the Israel Defense Force deployed Iron Dome anti-rocket defense system to the area of the port city of Eilat, which had come under rocket fire in recent days from inside Egypt. The basing of the Iron Dome installations is for technical reasons and not due to changing operational circumstances in the Eilat area, which is popular with tourists. Iron Dome was being tested all across Israel and it was in this context that it was being based in Eilat. Local press reports say the Iron Dome batteries were being matched to the topography of the local terrain. The was the second Iron Dome deployment in Eilat. The first was in July.
The Ministry of Defense officially announced 04 November 2012 that a series of tests to the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system has been successfully completed, an important step in the IDF's plans to upgrade the system. Following the tests, IDF forces will acquire an additional Iron Dome battery, this one with improved capabilities. The new battery, which will be the IDF's fifth, will soon be transferred to the IAF. The series of tests was designed to broaden the activities of the Iron Dome system and to improve its capabilities against an unprecedented variety of threats. The advancement of the system will enable it to handle the threats posed by the Fajr and Zelzal missiles. The tests were carried out by the staff of the Defense Ministry's Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure. They tested upgrades including improvements to the system's radar, which should enable it to operate more quickly and smoothly and to cope with broader threats than in the past.
“The Iron Dome success rate is roughly 90 percent,” said Israeli Defense Force spokeswoman Libby Weiss in July 2014. Hamas militants fired more than 1,000 rockets from Gaza at Israeli cities in the second week of July. Typically, air raid sirens blare and residents have between 15 and 90 seconds to head to bomb shelters and safe rooms in their homes.
Theodore Postol, a physicist and missile-defense expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and other scientists say that Iron Dome misses the mark more often than not. “The rocket will still go on to the ground and the warhead will still explode,” he said. Postol says that he believes the interception rate could be more like 5 percent, and he says he should know. “Remember, I was the guy who showed that the 96 percent intercept rate claimed for the Patriot missile in the Gulf War of 1991 was instead probably zero, and pretty much everybody now accepts that finding,” he said.
Iron Dome - Medium Range Intercept Capability (MRIC)
The Israel Defense website reported on 03 November 2014 that the United States Army will acquire one Iron Dome battery, and based on tests it will conduct on the system decide whether or not to purchase more units of the Israeli defense system. Israel Defense noted that at the beginning of Iron Dome’s development the US Army didn’t have much confidence in the system, which is why it was funded with a special budget and not the ordinary annual US defense budget that is allocated for other anti-missile systems such as the Arrow. Having seen the system proven in war, the US now apparently is considering deploying it to defend military establishments and US soldiers around the world.
The US Army, in conjunction with the Israeli Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), took a critical step toward fielding the first of two Iron Dome Defense System-Army (IDDS-A) batteries in August 2021. IDDS-A will defend supported forces within fixed and semi-fixed locations against sub-sonic Cruise Missiles, Groups 2 &3 Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and Rockets, Artillery and Mortar threats.
In August 2019, the United States and Israel signed an agreement for the procurement of two IDDS-A batteries to defend deployed US forces against various aerial threats. The IDDS-A systems were delivered in 2020, and have undergone a process of acceptance testing and operator training over the past months. The 3-43 Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Battalion (BN), a subordinate unit assigned to the 11th ADA Brigade (BDE) in Fort Bliss, TX is the first unit to undergo New Equipment Training, and execute live fire tests with the newly acquired interim cruise missile defense system. Soldiers from 3-43 ADA successfully engaged eight cruise missile surrogate targets as part of a coordinated performance test and live fire event.
The US Army planned to field both IDDS-A batteries as an interim cruise missile defense solution, while continuing to acquire an enduring Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) Increment 2 (Inc2) system. Future variants of the IFPC program include technology insertions such as directed energy, which will provide a critical protection capability against sub-sonic Cruise Missiles, Groups 2 &3 Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and Rockets, Artillery and Mortars threats.
Program Manager (PM) for Ground Based Air Defense (GBAD) is responsible for the sustainment of the Advanced Man Portable Air Defense System (A-MANPADS) and the development, fielding and sustainment of the Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Family of Systems (FoS), including Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) and Medium Range Intercept Capability (MRIC).
PM GBAD announced plans 13 June 2023 to award new contracts on a sole source basis in accordance with FAR 6.302-1, with Raytheon Company 1151 E Hermans RD Tucson, Arizona 85756-9367 to procure, integrate, test and field: Up to 80 Tamir missiles to support the initial MRIC Prototype deployment; Three Batteries of MRIC systems consisting of 1,840 Tamir missiles, 44 Expeditionary launchers integrated with Iron Dome Missile Firing Unit Launch Control Electronics (LCE), 11 mini-Battle Management and Control (mBMC) systems with Uplinks compatible with the LCE and integrated with expeditionary Command and Control (C2) (i.e., the Processing and Display Subsystem (PDS) from the USMC Common Aviation Command and Control System (CAC2S); Logistics and technical support.
The MRIC system would be deployed to defend permanently and operationally fixed sites in the designated Area of Operations (AO). This integration provides the Marine Expeditionary Force an air defense umbrella that detects, tracks, identifies and defeats enemy cruise missile threats, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), and other identified aerial threats. The MRIC system will leverage available surveillance radar and communication assets within the AO to enhance detection and identification of threats and improve situational awareness. The system will be interoperable with other theater air and missile defense systems to facilitate a defense-in-depth against aerial threats.
PEO LS designated the MRIC program a Middle Tier Acquisition Program (MTA) on 30 June 2020. To meet the residual capability requirements, the GBAD Program Office (PO) is designing, developing, integrating, and testing a single prototype MRIC system consisting of expeditionary C2 (i.e., the PDS from the CAC2S and a mBMC), four MRIC Expeditionary Launchers (MEL), and Tamir missiles. Several live fire test events conducted at White Sand Missile Range (WSMR) successfully demonstrated the technical capability maturity of the MRIC prototype.
On 12 Dec 2022, PEO LS approved PM GBAD to proceed in transitioning into the ‘certify the prototype for deployment’ phase of the rapid prototyping MTA strategy. This certification entails developing logistics and sustainment planning, additional testing to include tailored safety testing, assembling the deployable prototype, conducting the cybersecurity assessment, and procuring missiles.
The MRIC MTA Rapid Prototype Phase will culminate upon successful completion of a Quick Reaction Assessment (QRA), at which time it is anticipated a decision will be made to deploy and sustain the residual prototype capability. It is further anticipated the MRIC program will transition into MTA Rapid Fielding in early FY25 to procure the three Batteries of equipment listed in paragraph 1.1 and field to Low Anti-Air Defense Battalions (LAADs) in FY26, FY27 and FY28.
The United Kingdom has also purchased Iron Dome technology to create its Sky Sabre system.
https://www.newsweek.com/map-iron-dome-systems-1833552
A report in Yedioth Aharanoth 15 February 2022 claimed that Israel barred the US from selling Iron Dome missile defense batteries to Ukraine, and ultimately convinced the US to drop the possible sale to Ukraine. The report claimed that Ukraine first became interested in purchasing the Iron Dome missile defense system last spring.
After the May 2021 conflict between Israel and Hamas, Ukraine launched a bid in Washington to win support from US lawmakers for the sale of Iron Dome missile batteries. But since the Iron Dome system was jointly developed by Israel and the US, both partners must approve sales to third countries. Off the record, Israeli officials told the Biden administration that Israel cannot permit the transfer of Iron Dome batteries to Ukraine, given the current situation with Russia, and Israel’s complicated relationship with Moscow. Ukraine had since formally requested to purchase both the Iron Dome missile defense system, and US-made Patriot missiles.
Ukraine appealed directly to the Bennett government, requesting Israel’s support in receiving Iron Dome batteries. In early February 2022, the Ukrainian foreign minister gave an interview with the Israeli Kan media outlet, emphasizing Ukraine’s desire to obtain Israeli weapons systems. But according to the Yedioth Aharanoth report, Israel remains firm in its opposition – in part due to the country’s complicated relationship with Moscow, and Russia’s position in Syria.
The report also claimed that Israel has won over the Biden administration, with the potential Iron Dome sale being scuttled completely. Ukraine was still hoping to purchase Patriot missiles, though the Biden administration is expected to turn down the request.
In June 2023 Two senior US lawmakers called on Israel to lift a veto on the transfer of Iron Dome missile defense batteries to Ukraine. Any Iron Dome sale, which is a joint Israeli-American project, must be approved by both countries before a deal with a third party. Senators Lindsey Graham, a Republican, and Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, wrote a letter to the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee urging the Committee to support Ukraine’s air defense by facilitating the transfer of additional US air defense assets to Ukraine.
Washington had provided Ukraine with equipment and munitions for the highly sought-after Patriot as well as HAWK air-defense systems. “There is more we can and should provide,” the senators wrote in their letter. Citing testimony from Army Space and Missile Defense Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Daniel Karbler, the senators said the US currently has two Iron Dome batteries. One is ready for deployment, while the other is near being prepared.
“So, the army does have one [Iron Dome battery] available for deployment if we get a request,” Lt. Gen. Karbler said during his May 9 testimony. The senators wrote that each Iron Dome battery could protect an area of approximately 150 square kilometers.
“We can save more Ukrainian lives today if we transfer those batteries. However, due to serious concerns, the Government of Israel has blocked the United States from transferring these batteries,” they said. They added that they were not asking Israel to transfer its own Iron Dome systems “but simply to allow the United States to transfer our own batteries to help the people of Ukraine.”
Graham and Van Hollen said that if Israel continued to refuse, the US should look to move their Iron Dome systems to another US ally under the control and supervision of its own forces, “thus freeing up other United States air defense assets to be transferred to bolster Ukraine’s air defense needs and save more Ukrainian lives.” Graham is a staunch supporter of US support for Israel and was recently in the country on a visit, where he tried to further advance Israel’s wishes for normalization with Saudi Arabia.
US company Raytheon and Israeli-based Rafael formed a joint venture in 2020 to build the Iron Dome missile defense system in the US. With Ukraine needing to defend its skies against Russian forces, the US and other Western countries have moved to supply billions of dollars of weapons, including air defense systems, to Kyiv since Russia further invaded in February 2022. While Ukraine has requested Israeli help, the latter has hesitated so as not to rupture ties with Moscow. Israel and Russia have an understanding as it pertains to the war in Syria, where Israeli jets routinely conduct airstrikes against Iran-backed targets inside Syria.
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