Israel’s “Iron Dome” air defense system has intercepted thousands of rockets since it was commissioned in 2011, providing essential protection in times of conflict. It has been widely used to protect military and civilian sites from frequent rocket fire from Gaza and Lebanon in the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
Israel first developed the “Iron Dome” on its own after the 2006 Lebanon War, before being joined by the United States, which provided defense know-how and billions of dollars in support financial. The system has an interception rate of around 90%, according to the Israeli military company Rafael, which participated in its design. Here’s how it works:
A three-part system
“Iron Dome” is one of the elements of Israel’s multi-level missile defense system. It is designed to shoot down rockets with a range of up to 70 kilometers.
Each battery in this “Iron Dome” consists of three main parts: a radar detection system, a computer that calculates the trajectory of the incoming rocket, and a launcher that fires interceptors if the rocket is likely to hit a built-up area or strategic.
It is accompanied by other anti-missile defense systems such as the Arrow system, intended to counter ballistic missiles, and the David’s Sling system, whose objective is to counter medium-range rocket or missile attacks.
How much does this system cost?
Each Iron Dome interceptor costs between $40,000 and $50,000 (37,500 to 46,900 euros) to produce, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, based in Washington. The latter estimates that a complete system, including the radar, computer and three or four launchers – each containing up to 20 interceptors – costs around $100 million to produce.
Israel has 10 systems of this type, according to the American aeronautics and defense group RTX (formerly Raytheon), which is participating in the construction of the “Iron Dome”. According to other estimates, this figure is slightly higher.
United States support
The “Iron Dome” is one of the strategic pillars of the US-Israel alliance, which has been followed by successive Democratic and Republican administrations. In August 2019, the US military signed a contract to purchase two “Iron Dome” batteries to strengthen its own short-range missile defense capabilities.