Israel faced a fierce bombardment from more than 300 drones and ballistic missiles overnight Saturday, in the latest challenge to the country’s Iron Dome, which is 90 percent effective at intercepting rockets.
All but a few were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the United Kingdom and the United States, the officials said.
The powerful short-range defense system was used to shoot down the incoming barrage of drones, cruise missiles and rockets fired from Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen, and has also been working at full strength to handle attacks throughout the six months of war. against Hamas.
Iron Dome works to detect incoming rockets, before determining their trajectory and intercepting them, and has fired thousands of aerial weapons since it first became operational in 2011.
The multi-billion pound three-part air defense system, developed by Israel with US backing after the 2006 Lebanon War, has been crucial in the defense of Israeli cities for more than a decade and is credited with having prevented serious damage or casualties.
MailOnline has investigated the impressive system and how it works.
Israel’s Iron Dome uses sophisticated radar to detect incoming aerial objects such as drones, rockets and missiles.
Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip in January 2024
The Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip in central Israel in November 2023.
What is the Iron Dome?
Iron Dome is a mobile all-weather system in Israel that is composed of at least 10 missile defense batteries strategically distributed throughout the country.
The device is made up of three main sections: a radar detection system, a computer to calculate the trajectory of the incoming rocket, and a launcher that fires interceptors if the rocket is deemed likely to hit an urbanized or strategic area.
It uses sophisticated radar to detect incoming aerial objects, such as drones, rockets and missiles, and sends the information to a command and control center.
Here the threat is tracked to evaluate whether it is a false alarm and the possible fate of the flying object.
Each truck-towed unit then fires radar-guided missiles to blast short-range threats like rockets, mortars and drones into the air.
The system fires the interceptors (just 6 inches wide and 10 feet long) against incoming threats that appear most likely to hit an inhabited area.
Each Iron Dome battery consists of three or four launchers that can each carry up to 20 Tamir interceptor missiles.
The batteries can neutralize threats launched from up to 43 miles away, while ignoring projectiles expected to hit unpopulated areas.
In late 2012, Israel said it hoped to increase the range of Iron Dome interceptions from a maximum of 43 miles to 155 miles away and make it more versatile so that it could intercept rockets coming from two directions simultaneously.
One view shows drones or missiles competing for targets at undisclosed locations in northern Israel.
The 10 Iron Domes placed across the country can defend up to nearly 60 square miles of land, protecting countless civilians and critical infrastructure.
The system was developed by state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries and was updated in 2012, but details of the changes were not made public.
The United States supported the initial project with a $200,000 grant in 2006.
Iron Dome is just one of Israel’s three missile defense systems along with The Arrow and David’s Sling.
The Arrow system developed with the United States is designed to intercept long-range missiles, including the types of ballistic missiles that Iran said it launched on Saturday.
The Arrow, which operates outside the atmosphere, has been used in the current war to intercept long-range missiles launched by Houthi militants in Yemen.
David’s Sling, also developed with the United States, is intended to intercept medium-range missiles, such as those possessed by Hezbollah in Lebanon.
How effective is Iron Dome?
Iron Dome’s effectiveness has improved since it first successfully eliminated a hostile projectile in April 2011, and has reached a reported success rate of around 90 percent, according to Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
In Saturday night’s attack, most of the around 300 missiles were intercepted by the defensive weapon before reaching Israeli territory, while others were shot down by the United States and other allies.
A full battery is estimated to cost around £80 million to produce, while each interceptor costs around £40,000 to launch.
The Israeli Iron Dome air defense system intercepts a missile launched from the Gaza Strip towards southern Israel, on January 21, 2024.
It has also proven highly effective in recent years, with its capabilities especially highlighted in 2021, after militant groups in Gaza fired at least 4,000 rockets during the 11-day war in May.
In the first 24 hours of the conflict, 470 rockets were fired and the Iron Dome system intercepted around 90% of the rockets heading towards populated areas inside Israel.
In the United States, Lieutenant General Henry A. Obering wrote in Defense News: “Iron Dome has stopped more than 2,000 rockets fired at Israeli population centers with a remarkable success rate, an achievement that also changed American thinking about national missile defense.
“Iron Dome is the most proven and affordable option against very short-range fire.”
He hailed it as a “game changer.”
On the battlefield during Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012, and when used in Operation Protective Edge in 2014, the system had success rates of 84 percent and 91 percent, respectively.
But things get more complicated if the drones fly so low that radar can’t detect them.
Israel has hundreds of interceptor missiles at its disposal, but Iron Dome has come under immense pressure, as seen on October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel with a barrage of thousands of missiles.
Hamas said it fired 5,000 rockets in the initial attack and Israel’s military responded by saying only 2,500 rockets were fired.
“That amount was simply too much for Iron Dome to manage,” the Modern War Institute report said.
This suggests that Iron Dome has a limit on the number of rockets it can intercept, and if that number is exceeded, the rest of the rockets will permeate the system, according to one report. Forbes 2021 report.
Just two days after the Oct. 7 massacre, the Israeli government asked the United States to provide more precision-guided munitions for its fighter jets and more interceptors for its Iron Dome missile defense system, according to a U.S. official.
How much does it cost?
A full battery is estimated to cost around £80m to produce, while each interceptor costs around £40,000 to launch, according to the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv think tank.
The United States has invested heavily in the system, helping with development costs and replenishing it in times of conflict.
Since 1946, the United States has allocated nearly nine billion pounds to Israeli missile defense systems, including nearly two billion pounds for Iron Dome, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Iron Dome missile defense system deployed near Jerusalem, April 14, 2024
US President Joe Biden has said he will ask Congress for £11.4 billion in military aid to Israel, which would help with air and missile defense systems such as Iron Dome, according to the White House.
“We are increasing additional military assistance, including munitions and interceptors to replenish Iron Dome,” Biden said.
The future of Iron Dome
Rafael says it delivered two Iron Dome batteries to the US military in 2020, but the US is not the only country interested in getting its hands on the powerful batteries.
Last year, Ukraine asked Israel for an Iron Dome system and other air defense equipment to defend against Iranian ballistic missiles and attack drones used by Russia in its ongoing invasion.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this year that he supports Ukraine but ruled out sending Kiev an Iron Dome system for fear that Iran could obtain it, which would greatly endanger Israel’s security.
Several other countries have also expressed interest in purchasing Iron Dome systems in recent years, including Germany, Romania and India.
A naval version of the Iron Dome was also deployed in 2017 to protect ships and maritime assets.