Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired more than 3,000 rockets into Israel on Saturday. However the vast majority caused little or no harm, largely because of Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system. It has an intercept rate of about 90%, according to the Israeli military.
Iron Dome defense system is a land-based system that intercepts and destroys short-range rockets and mortars. it’s capable of successfully handling multiple rockets at a time. Since its debut in 2011, it has developed into a cornerstone of the Israeli defense.
The system was created by Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. It started operating in March 2011 and successfully intercepted its first rocket launch from Gaza in April 2011. It has since stopped countless of rockets.
The system was designed to respond to threats from Gaza and Southern Lebanon.
It is powered by missile-defense batteries that can defend against mortar attacks and rockets like those launched from the Palestinian territories, within around 40 miles of the battery. The batteries are mobile so can be moved to where they are needed.
How does it work?
The MMR Radar is used by the Iron Domes to determine a rocket’s path. According to Israel’s Ministry of Defense, the rocket’s trajectory and potential landing spot are examined by the system’s command and control center.
The command and control unit gives the launcher the go-ahead to fire a rocket and deflect the approaching one. The system’s artificial intelligence component determines whether or not people are in danger from the approaching missile. The system will allow a missile to land if it is not considered to pose a threat.
Since it’s a short-range system, the Iron Dome is designed to shoot down missiles with a range of about 40 miles or less. It also has the ability to be moved, either onto ships or across land, to better suit defense needs.
The Iron Dome must be reloaded to continuously intercept incoming missiles.
