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Israel’s Iron Dome: Explaining The Terminologies And How It Works
Videos on social media showed rockets fired from Gaza being intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome air defence system. It appeared that the rockets were hitting an invisible shield.
In the conflict between Israel and Palestine, both sides have taken to airstrikes and rocket attacks. On Tuesday evening, videos on social media showed rockets fired from Gaza being intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome air defence system. It appeared that the rockets were hitting an invisible shield.
What is the Iron Dome?
It is a short-range, ground-to-air, air defense system that includes radar and Tamir interceptor missiles that track and neutralize any rockets or missiles aimed at Israeli targets. It is used for countering rockets, artillery & mortars (C-RAM) as well as aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The genesis of the Iron Dome goes back to the 2006 Israeli-Lebanon war when Hezbollah fired thousands of rockets into Israel. The following year, Israel announced that its state-run Rafael Advanced Systems would come up with a new air defence system to protect its cities and people. It was developed with Israel Aerospace Industries.
The Iron Dome was deployed in 2011. While Rafael claims a success rate of over 90%, with more than 2,000 interceptions, experts agree the success rate is over 80%. Rafael says on its website that it can “protect deployed and maneuvering forces, as well as the Forward Operating Base (FOB) and urban areas, against a wide range of indirect and aerial threats”.
How does it work, and what makes it so effective?
The Iron Dome has three main systems that work together to provide a shield over the area where it is deployed, handling multiple threats. It has detection and tracking radar to spot any incoming threats, a battle management and weapon control system (BMC), and a missile-firing unit. The BMC basically liaises between the radar and the interceptor missile.
It is capable of being used in all weather conditions, including during the day and night.
How much does it cost?
Each battery, or the full unit, can cost over $50 million, and one interceptor Tamir missile costs around $80,000. In contrast, a rocket can cost less than $1,000. The system dispatches two Tamir missiles to intercept each rocket.
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