2023-10-23 10:30:05
In the context of the open conflict between Israel and Hamas since October 7, the Israeli Iron Dome is being severely tested. Futura invites you to learn more regarding this impressive air defense device and how it works.
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The Iron Dome (kipat barzel in Hebrew) is an Israeli anti-projectile defense system intended to destroy in mid-flight short-range rockets, artillery shells or drones targeting inhabited areas. The Iron Dome is not a “dome” strictly speaking. In fact, this is a set of mobile anti-missile batteries – military units specializing in air defense. These batteries are present in the most sensitive Israeli areas and capable of neutralizing fire launched from Gaza, Lebanon, or Syria.
Israel has – hold on – three-dimensional electronically scanned radars ELM-2084 mobile. These radars – designed to provide information on the direction, distance and altitude of enemy projectiles – are capable of detecting an object within a radius of 70 km.
The spotted projectile is then analyzed by a combat management system. It is a computer system responsible for collecting, analyzing and processing data. This system calculates in particular the probable impact of the projectile. If it is regarding to strike an inhabited area, the system makes the decision to intercept the threat.
The data is then transmitted to the crew of the Tamir mobile interceptor missile battery. These operators are responsible for launching the missiles. Each battery is equipped with three surface-to-air missile launchers, and each launcher has 20 interceptor missiles. Missiles have radars or remote guidance systems to track and destroy targets. A complete battery costs between $37 million and $50 million.
Israel has so far deployed around ten (out of a stated objective of 15), capable of intercepting, in total, up to 200 projectiles per minute. Faced with this concentration of technology, the Palestinians are dealing with rockets and much less advanced, even homemade, weapons systems.
The visible face of a huge air defense system
The Iron Dome is just one element of Israel’s vast anti-aircraft shield, the first elements of which were put in place in 2011. It is made up of three main systems: the Iron Dome, David’s Sling ( or “magic wand”) and Arrow-3. David’s Sling can destroy short- and medium-range ballistic missiles (70 to 250 km), cruise missiles and large-caliber rockets. Arrow-3 is intended to intercept very long-range ballistic missiles (up to 2,400 km).
This anti-aircraft shield should be further strengthened since, at the end of 2022, Israel announced that it had successfully tested the naval version of the Iron Dome called “C-Dome”. The principle remains the same, except that the batteries would be stored on board corvettes. Finally, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in April on Twitter that the Israeli army is working on a shield acting by laser beam, the “Iron beam” which would have the advantage – among other things – of being much less expensive than the Dome. iron: count on $3.50 for a laser shot, compared to $50,000 (47,000 euros) for a single surface-to-air missile shot.
Is Iron Dome effective?
The Israeli military claims that 75 to 90 percent of interception attempts are successful. The system is effective, but it is far from perfect. One of its main weaknesses consists of the inability of radars to detect projectiles launched at low altitude. Furthermore, it saw its interception capabilities undermined by Palestinian bombings. Hamas, in fact, claimed to have fired more than 5,000 rockets towards Israel, all in the space of 20 minutes, or 250 missiles per minute, thus overwhelming the Israeli system.
The context
The “father” of Iron Dome is Dr. Daniel Gold, Reserve Brigadier General in the Israeli Army. It was he who designed this technology in the early 2000s, before it was then developed by the public arms group Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and by the company Israel Aerospace Industry. The system began to be deployed in the early 2010s near the Gaza Strip. It was later extended to other regions in the north of the country, on the border with Lebanon and around Tel Aviv. It was exported to several countries such as Azerbaijan, India, Romania and the United States, which partially financed the project via the company Raytheon, and are now developing their own replica of this system.
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