By: Aryeh Savir
Over the weekend, the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), in the Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D), of the Israel Ministry of Defense, delivered the second of two Iron Dome Defense System batteries to the U.S. Army.
Defense Minister, Benny Gantz: “The delivery of the Iron Dome to the U.S. Army once again demonstrates the close relations between the Israel Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense, the effectiveness of the system against various threats, and the excellent technological capabilities of Israeli industries. I am confident that the system will assist the U.S. Army in protecting American troops from ballistic and airborne threats as well as from developing threats in the areas where U.S. troops are deployed on various missions.”
In August 2019, the United States and Israel signed an agreement for the procurement of two Iron Dome Defense System batteries (IDDS-A). The first battery was delivered in September and is already undergoing a process of implementation in the U.S. The second battery was delivered in accordance with the agreement and project schedule.
These batteries will be employed in the defense of US troops against a variety of ballistic and aerial threats.
The systems transferred to the U.S. include some minor modifications. A series of experiments and demonstrations were conducted at the White Sands experimental field in the US prior to the transfer of the systems.
Developed in 2007 by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and deployed by the Israeli Air Force in 2011, the Iron Dome system will complete a decade of operations in the coming year with more than 2,400 operational interceptions with a high 90% success rate that probably saved hundreds of Israeli lives.
The Iron Dome, which is designed for short-range interceptions, is part of Israel’s multi-layer defense system, which includes four operational defense layers: the Iron Dome system, the Magic Wand system, designed to contend with mid-range missiles, and the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems, developed for long-range threats.
They provide a defense against a wide array of ballistic projectiles, with eyes on the Iranian ballistic threat and those presented by the Hezbollah terror organization from Lebanon and Hamas and Islamic Jihad from Gaza.
In 2018, the Iron Dome system was voted Israel’s all-time top innovation in a competition organized by the Ministry of Economy in honor of Israel’s 70th Yom Ha’atzmaut (Independence Day) celebrations.
The prime contractor for the development and production of the Iron Dome is Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. The MMR radar is developed by ELTA, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and the command and control system (BMC), is developed by mPrest. The Iron Dome is an integral part of Israel’s multi-layered defense array developed by the IMDO. The defense array includes the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 weapon systems. (TPS & GPO)
