Iron Dome (Hebrew: כִּפַּת בַּרְזֶל, kippat barzel) is a mobile all-weather air defense system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aircraft Industries. The system is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to 70 kilometres (43 mi) away and whose trajectory would take them to a populated area. Israel hopes to increase the range of Iron Dome's interceptions, from the current maximum of 70 kilometres (43 mi) to 250 kilometres (160 mi) and make it more versatile so that it could intercept rockets coming from two directions simultaneously.
Iron Dome was declared operational and initially deployed on 27 March 2011 near Beersheba. On 7 April 2011, the system successfully intercepted a BM-21 Grad launched from Gaza for the first time. On 10 March 2012, The Jerusalem Postreported that the system shot down 90% of rockets launched from Gaza that would have landed in populated areas. By November 2012, official statements indicated that it had intercepted 400+ rockets. By late October 2014, the Iron Dome systems had intercepted over 1,200 rockets.
In addition to their land-based deployment, Iron Dome batteries will in the future be deployed at sea, where they will protect off-shore gas platforms in conjunction with Israel's Barak 8 missile system.
Iron Dome is part of a future multi-tiered missile defense system that Israel is developing, which will also include Arrow 2, Arrow 3, Iron Beam, Barak 8 and David's Sling as early as 2018.
Specifications
The system is designed to counter short-range rockets and 155 mm artillery shells with a range of up to 70 kilometers. According to its manufacturer, Iron Dome will operate day and night, under adverse weather conditions, and can respond to multiple threats simultaneously.
Iron Dome has three central components:
Detection & Tracking Radar: the radar system is built by Elta, an Israeli defense company and subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, and by the IDF.
Battle Management & Weapon Control (BMC): the control center is built for Rafael by mPrest Systems, an Israeli software company.
Missile Firing Unit: the unit launches the Tamir interceptor missile, equipped with electro-optic sensors and several steering fins for high maneuverability. The missile is built by Rafael.
The system's radar is referred to as EL/M-2084. It detects the rocket's launch and tracks its trajectory. The BMC calculates the impact point according to the reported data, and uses this information to determine whether the target constitutes a threat to a designated area. Only when that threat is determined, is an interceptor missile fired to destroy the incoming rocket before it reaches the predicted impact area.
Typical battery
The typical air defense missile battery consists of a radar unit, missile control unit, and several launchers, all located at the same site. Conversely, Iron Dome is built to deploy in a scattered pattern. Each launcher, containing 20 interceptors, is independently deployed and operated remotely via a secure wireless connection. Reportedly, each battery is capable of protecting an urban area of approximately 150 square kilometers.
| Iron Dome | |
|---|---|
| Type | C-RAM and short range air defence system. |
| Place of origin | Israel |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2011–present |
| Used by | Israel |
| Wars | Gaza–Israel conflict (2011, 2012) Operation Pillar of Defense Operation Protective Edge Sinai insurgency |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Rafael Advanced Defense Systemsand Israel Aerospace Industries |
| Designed | 2005–present |
| Manufacturer | Rafael Advanced Defense Systemsand Israel Aerospace Industries |
| Unit cost |
$50 million per battery
$40,000 per missile |
| Produced | 2011–present |
| No. built | 10 batteries deployed (Planned deployment is 15) |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 90 kg (200 lb) |
| Length | 3 m (9.8 ft) |
| Diameter | 160 mm (6.3 in) |
Detonation
mechanism | Proximity fuze |
Launch
platform | Three/Four launchers, each carrying 20 interceptors. |
sources: wikipedia
Iron Dome Missile Defense System
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