Israel has stated that an upgraded version of its combat-proven Iron Dome defense system
successfully knocked down all of the simulated targets it faced in a recent series of tests.
Israeli officials say that the updates will ensure that the system will be able to engage
"evolving threats in the region"
The Israeli Ministry of Defense announced that the tests had occurred on Jan. 12, 2020,
but did not say when or where they had taken place.
The Directorate of Defense Research and Development and the Israel Missile Defense Organization
(IMDO) conducted the testing program in cooperation with Iron Dome's manufacturer, Rafael.
Viewers may note that last year Prime Minister Netanyahu pitched for the modernization of
the missile defense system.
Netanyahu voiced his opinion during a meeting of the military-political council, which was
held in Tel Aviv.
Iron dome entered service nearly a decade ago and has seen extensive use.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes upgrade of Iron Dome system which is touted to makes
it almost foolproof.
Let's get started.
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Israel has been targeted with different kinds of projectiles like short-range rockets, artillery
fire, mortars.
In the 1990s, Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, fired rockets into the northern part of Israel.
This established a need for a system that could counter this threat.
During the 2006 Second Lebanon War, the situation worsened.
Hezbollah-fired approximately 4,000 rockets, mostly the short-range Katyusha.
The main targets of these rockets were the northern part of Israel including Haifa, the
country's third largest city.
The rocket onslaught resulted in the deaths of 44 Israeli civilians.
Not only this, approximately 250,000 Israeli citizens had to be evacuated and an estimated
1 million Israelis were confined in or near bomb shelters during the assault.
In the period between 2000 and 2008, 8,000 projectiles were launched in the southern
part of Israel mainly by Hamas.
It is estimated that 50% of these were rockets and the other 50% were mortar bombs.
The rockets were mostly Qassams launched by 122 mm Grad launchers from Gaza Strip.
The Qassam has a longer range than previous rockets and almost 1 million civilians were
within its range.
This increased Israel’s determination to find a solution to this security challenge
and it will lead to the work on Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar or C-RAM solution.
In 2007, after a lot of evaluations, Israel’s Defense Minister Amir Peretz selected Iron
Dome for defense against short-range threats.
In 2011, Israel began operating the Iron Dome officially.
Iron Dome is a mobile and can work in any weather condition which makes it very flexible.
It consists of 3 main components - Radar, Battle Management System, and Missile launcher.
Iron Dome’s Tamir interceptor missiles can strike down incoming threats launched from
ranges of 4-70 km.
Tamir missile is equipped with electro-optical sensors and receives additional targeting
information in flight via a data link.
It uses proximity fuze triggered blast fragmentation warhead to destroy the incoming projectile.
Each battery includes three to four stationary launchers with 20 Tamir missiles and a battlefield
radar.
A single battery can defend up to nearly 60 square miles.
According to Israel & Rafael, it has been used to intercept more than 2000 targets with
a greater than 90% success rate since it was deployed in 2011.
Though the data regarding the success rate is often challenged by critics.
Iron Dome is part of Israel’s multi-layer air defense system which includes other systems
like Arrow air defense and David’s Sling.
It is primarily a C-RAM solution that is meant for countering rockets, artillery shells,
and mortar rounds.
But it can also take out other threats which includes cruise missiles and drones.
The most obvious threat to Israel is from adversaries like Hamas and Hezbollah.
These groups have been expanding their capabilities and developing better rocket and missile arsenals.
This presents a threat environment that is constantly evolving.
In this context, we need to look into the recent events.
On September 14, 2019, the facilities of Aramco oil corporation located in the east of Saudi
Arabia came under attack.
18 drones and 7 missiles were used for this onslaught.
The air defense system which included American Patriot PAC-2 surface-to-air missile batteries
& several short-range automatic gun systems failed to intercept them.
The attack disrupted shipments of 5.7 million barrels of oil daily which is around 50% of
Saudi Arabia’s output and resulted in a spike in global oil prices.
The U.S Department of State press service had quoted Mike Pompeo as saying,
"We’ve seen air defense systems all around the world have mixed success.
Some of the finest in the world don’t always pick things up.
We want to work to make sure that infrastructure and resources are put in place such that attacks
like this would be less successful than this one appears to have been."
The upgrade also needs to be seen from another aspect.
In November 2019, reports emerged that seeker and fuse sections from a Tamir interceptor
had fallen largely intact in the Gaza Strip following a rocket attack.
So, basically, Israel adversaries got a chance to look into the very important component
of the missile and this could enable them to circumvent it in the future.
An upgrade at this stage will nullify this scenario.
Viewers may note that Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense System Ltd is responsible for the
development of Iron Dome along with Israel Aerospace Industries.
Regarding the upgrade, Rafael’s Vice President Pini Yungman said in a statement,
"We have completed a series of tests with a success rate of 100 %. The system intercepted
all threats, which were simulated in an area secured for the purpose of the experiment."
According to Israel's Defense Ministry, The test targets "simulated the future threats
that the system may confront,”
Moshe Patael, the head of IMDO stated, “When we deliver it to the Israel Defense
Forces, the Air Force will be equipped to confront evolving threats in the region,”
He further added that these first deliveries of the upgraded Iron Dome systems would begin
in the near future.
The Israeli military has not revealed any specific details regarding the exact enhancement
made.
But some reports suggest that the overall accuracy of the system is improved especially
the homing capability of Tamir interceptor.
This basically means that a lesser number of the interceptors will have to be fired
to neutralize a threat.
It will make it more cost-effective and also enable Iron dome batteries to takeout more threats.
The fact is that Iron Dome has seen significant usage which is actually a blessing.
It has seen several rounds of optimizations which is only possible when the system faces
real-life tests and chinks are identified.
This is what makes the Iron Dome a unique asset.
Last year the U.S. Army has finalized a deal to bring Iron Dome defense system to the United States.
The idea is to utilize the Iron Dome to protect against cruise missiles.
The latest upgrade will ensure that the system stays one step ahead of the game and is able
to counter future threats effectively.
The updates to Iron Dome show that Israel continues to invest in the system and view
it as an important part of its defense apparatus.