Iron Dome was built to intercept the kind of low-tech rockets fired by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza. Developed by state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems with US backing, it became operational in 2011. Each truck-towed unit can direct radar-guided missiles against short-range threats such as rockets, mortars and drones.
A key part of Iron Dome is its control system’s ability to discern what incoming targets pose a threat. If an adversary’s rocket will land harmlessly - in an unpopulated area or in the sea, for instance - it will not be intercepted. That makes it ideal for “saturation” scenarios in which an enemy tries to fire so many missiles that not all of them will be shot down, said Uzi Rubin, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security.
Watch: Israel intercepts rockets launched from Lebanon
“Its radar and battle management systems are designed to handle a huge number of targets simultaneously,” Rubin said. “Each launcher can fire its full load of 20 interceptors within 10 seconds or so.”
When Hamas began its attack on Israel in October 2023, it fired several thousand rockets into Israel, with a reported interception rate of about 90%. Rafael says that over the course of its service, Iron Dome has intercepted thousands of targets. The company says it delivered two Iron Dome batteries to the U.S. Army in 2020. Ukraine is seeking the system to protect cities in its war with Russia, but Israel has so far only provided Kyiv with humanitarian support and civil defence supplies.
How Iron Dome works
Iron Dome was originally billed as providing city-sized coverage against rockets with ranges of 4 to 70 km (2.5 to 43 miles), but experts say this has been expanded as the system has been improved over time. The systems work to create a protective space above Israeli towns and settlements. Any incoming projectile determined to be a threat can be targeted.
The mission of shooting down numerous cheap, low-end threats means Iron Dome’s interceptors must also be inexpensive. Each Tamir missile costs about $50,000, Kalisky said, which is low relative to a multimillion-dollar Patriot missile. The price of not stopping an incoming threat must also be factored in, said Ankit Panda of the U.S.-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“It’s not that Iron Dome is a 100% effective capability, but you have to consider the alternative,” of much more damage from enemy rockets, he said. The high rate of fire, especially during a full-blown conflict, puts a strain on the ammunition supply of any air defence system, Kalisky said. That is why saturation attacks are an attractive tactic, and why countries must stockpile air defence missiles, he added.
“It’s a problem with any type of ammunition,” he said. “You have to prepare in advance. You have to prepare for that kind of attack.” Israel does not publicise the number of Tamir interceptors it produces or stockpiles. It also does not disclose the number of missiles fired by its air defence systems, although Kalisky said Iron Dome is designed to fire two missiles at each target.
The layers of defences and the use of systems tailor-made for Israel’s specific situation make Iron Dome especially potent, Panda said. “Israel I think has the most effective missile defence solution for the threats it faces as a country,” he said. “It’s been pretty well established that Iron Dome has a concept of operation that is incredibly effective.”
(With inputs from agency)
