Israel’s Iron Dome: Israel experienced an intense attack on Saturday night, as over 300 drones and missiles were launched, putting the country’s Iron Dome missile defence system to the test. Israel, along with its allies like the UK and the US, managed to stop most of the dangers.
The Iron Dome was crucial in defending against the onslaught of drones, cruise missiles, and rockets launched from various countries, including Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen, as it continues to operate at full capacity during the ongoing conflict with Hamas.
According to Reuters, over 300 drones and ballistic missiles attacked Israel on Saturday night in a brutal assault that tested the nation’s “90% effective” Iron Dome rocket intercepting system. According to officials, Israel and its allies—the United States and the United Kingdom—intercepted all but a small number of them.
The formidable short-range defence system has been battling Hamas for the past six months, repelling attacks in addition to using its might to shoot down the oncoming assault of drones, cruise missiles, and rockets fired from Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.
The Iron Dome: What is it?
Comprising a minimum of ten strategically placed missile defence batteries, Israel’s Iron Dome is an all-weather mobile system. The three primary components of the device are a radar-detecting system, a computer that determines the trajectory of the approaching rocket, and a launcher that activates interceptors if it is thought that the rocket is likely to strike a populated region or a strategic target. It identifies approaching aerial objects—such as drones, rockets, and missiles—using an advanced radar system and relays the data to a command and control center.
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The short-range Iron Dome air defence system was designed to stop the kind of rockets that Gaza’s Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist organization, fires.
The United States supported its development and ownership by the government-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. It went online in 2011. Each truck-towed unit uses radar-guided missiles to destroy drones, rockets, and mortars in midair, as well as other short-range threats.
According to Rafael, the U.S. Army received two Iron Dome batteries from it in 2020. In its conflict with Russia, Ukraine is also looking for supplies; however, Israel has only offered Kyiv humanitarian aid and civil defences thus far. Israel has been improving its air defence system ever since Iraqi Scud missiles hit it during the Gulf War in 1991.
Arrow Defence
With the Iranian missile threat in mind, Israel developed the long-range Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 system, which uses a detachable warhead to crash into the target to intercept ballistic missiles outside the earth’s atmosphere.
It functions at a height that permits any non-conventional warhead to be safely dispersed. The project’s primary contractor is the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (ISRAI.UL), with Boeing (BA.N) manufacturing the interceptors.
On October 31, Israel’s military announced that it had intercepted a surface-to-surface missile fired towards Israeli territory in the Red Sea using the Arrow aerial defence system, the first time it has done so since the conflict with Hamas began on October 7.
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Germany and Israel inked a letter of intent on September 28 to purchase the Arrow-3 missile defense system for approximately 4 billion euros ($4.2 billion).
David’s Sling
The mid-range David’s Sling system is intended to intercept ballistic missiles fired between 62 and 124 miles (100 km and 200 km) distant. David’s Sling, created and produced in collaboration with the United States Raytheon Company and Israel’s state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, is also intended to intercept drones, airplanes, and cruise missiles.
