Iron Dome rocket defense system development concluded

Iron Dome is Israel's defense system against Palestinian rockets. Its success in tests must be treated with caution. It is not effective against very close range attacks such as mortar attacks and it is extremely expensive to operate, since it uses missiles to shoot down rockets.

 

It should be effective against longer range rockets such as those that were typically employed by Hezbollah in the second Lebanon war. It might be effective against some of the longer range rockets used by the Hamas and its allies in Gaza. Like all weapons however, it is designed to fight the last war, not the next one.

 

Ami Isseroff

 

Last update - 20:15 06/01/2010       
Iron Dome trial intercepts rocket barrage for first time
By Haaretz Service

 

The defense establishment this week successfully intercepted a barrage of rocket for the first time using the newly developed Iron Dome system, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Tuesday.

 

A series of test-runs were conducted over the course of Monday and Tuesday in cooperation with the Rafael manufacturer.

 

During the tests, the system managed to intercept a number of rockets, by simultaneously launching its own target missiles.
 
The successful experiment marks an end to the development period of the system for the defense establishment, in accordance with the timetable laid out.

 

Over the summer, the Iron Dome past its first live trial in intercepting the short-range rockets favored by Palestinian and Lebanese guerrillas.

 

Iron Dome's success could improve the prospects of Israel eventually ceding West Bank land to the Palestinians, as Israeli officials have said that any withdrawals should be conditional on the deployment of a reliable defense against rocket attacks.

 

Designed by state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., Iron Dome uses small guided missiles to blow up Katyusha-style rockets. Israel plans to station the first working unit outside the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip next year.

 

Iron Dome would be capable of intercepting rockets with ranges of between 5 km (2 miles) and 70 km (45 miles), the official said.

 

The project was spurred by Israel's 2006 war with Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, during which 4,000 rockets rained down on its northern border communities.

 

Israel has seen similar attacks by Palestinian guerrillas in Gaza, from which it withdrew in 2005. A surge in the salvoes prompted an Israeli offensive last December which killed more than 1,400 Palestinians, many of them civilians