In the last 38 hours, 1,050 rockets have been launched against Israel. These are the latest numbers provided this morning by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). 90% of those directed against inhabited areas would have been intercepted. Also today a drone from the Gaza Strip would have been hit, confirming the growing threat posed by remotely piloted systems, even small and very unsophisticated (what they carry counts more). Protagonist of the defense is the “Iron Dome”, the Iron Dome system that is accompanying, together with the sirens, the Israeli nights.
WATCH as the Iron Dome Aerial Defense System intercepts rockets over southern Israel: pic.twitter.com/xUz3bMuTzz
– Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 12, 2021 THE SYSTEM
The system was specially designed to intercept short-range rockets, mortar rounds and artillery pieces from Palestinian territory and the Hezbollah-controlled area of Lebanon. Land mobile system, the Iron Dome is placed in the “V-Shorad” category, for the defense of threats with a more than short range, within forty kilometers. It consists of three main elements: the ELM 2084 radar, the management and control system (BMC), and the transportable launchers equipped with Tamir missiles, three-meter-long carriers with a diameter of 160 millimeters, weight of 90 kilograms and range from two to 40 kilometers. THE MISSILE
According to Rafael (who leads the implementation of the system), each battery of Iron Dome allows you to defend an area of 150 square kilometers. It consists of a radar, a control system, three launch platforms, each with twenty Tamir missiles. The vectors are equipped with special fins for maneuverability and electro-optical sensors to hit the target. Advanced technology allows detonation in the immediate vicinity of the threat; the outward explosion produces a ring of shrapnel around the missile’s warhead, forming like a shield (quite visible in the videos circulating online) to increase interception capabilities. THE RADAR
The ELM 2084, made by Israeli Aerospace Industries, is an electron-scanning 3D radar. According to the manufacturer, it would allow the detection of up to 1,100 threats simultaneously up to 70 kilometers away. Quickly provides the alert to BMC operators who activate the eventual interception launch. The radar follows the early stages of the threat’s journey, distinguishing those directed towards sensitive targets from those that are destined for uninhabited areas. This allows to conserve the interceptors, a very useful capability in case of massive attacks such as those in question. The same ELM 2084 radar is also used on David Sling’s fire control system, the “David’s Sling”, which covers intermediate range air defense. Rounding out the defense system is the Arrow for even greater ray threats.
#IromDome on #TelAviv pic.twitter.com/GdTwpE6neJ
– Lorenzo Zacchi (@LorenzoZacchi) May 11, 2021 THE STORY
The Iron Dome system has been operational since 2011, and has seen important uses in defense of Israel right from the start, with progressive updates, mostly in the software part. In November 2012, the Tel Aviv armed forces declared the interception of 85% of the 400 rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. In the summer of 2014, when the clashes were particularly bloody, the Iron Dome batteries intercepted 90% of the 800 rockets aimed at sensitive targets in Israeli territory, a smaller share of the overall 4,500 shots launched, therefore mostly on uninhabited areas. The effectiveness at “90%” is reiterated in every communication relating to the Iron Dome. For some observers it is relatively low, considering the thousands of rockets available to Hezbollah. Today the Jerusalem Post asks: “Is Iron Dome was dominance over
“. SATURATION RISK
The emphasis and above all on the opponents, who over time would have learned how to exploit the 10% of available space to increase the lethality of the attacks. The Israeli fear is that the battery system for short-range defense could be easily saturated in the event of massive launches at the same time. For this reason, via Haaretz, in 2018 the already three-time Defense Minister Moshe Arens explained that, alongside the defense of the “Iron Dome”, it was necessary to proceed by eliminating the opponent’s offensive capabilities. It is no coincidence, therefore, that the Israeli forces respond promptly in cases of the beginning of an escalation, hitting Hamas positions, warehouses and tunnels. It happened again this time. Minister Benny Gantzyesterday explained the goal of hitting “hard” the forces active in the Gaza Strip. The defense ministry has made it known that about 80 military aircraft have been activated for this purpose, including the advanced fifth generation fighters, the F-35s. In May 2018, it was the Israeli Air Force that marked the absolute operational debut of the Joint Strike Fighter, with at least two bombings in Syria against Iranian positions. PRODUCTION
The Iron Dome was born as a totally “made in Israel” system, with developments dating back to the 2000s, when the defense of Tel Aviv found itself unprotected from short-range threats deriving from the conflict in Lebanon. In line with the strategic partnership with the United States, over the years the Iron Dome has entered bilateral cooperation, with Washington ready to cover some parts of the program with its own budget, involving the industry and the stars and stripes. According to the careful portal Missile Threat of the CSIS, today about 55% of the components of the system are built in the USA by virtue of the agreements between the Israeli Rafael and the American Raytheon. The United States also benefited from the agreement. In 2016, the US Army tested its MML system with the launch of Tamir missiles.
The #IronDome is truly a life saver! This is the Iron Dome in action tonight, as rockets are fired at southern #Israel from #Gaza! pic.twitter.com/y4HCyaTntK
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) May 10, 2021
