The Iron Dome is one of several multimillion-dollar anti-missile systems installed in Israel. It intercepts and destroys short-range rockets and high-explosive artillery shells fired from distances of 4 km to 70 km away, and It is made by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. In current tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, the Israeli army claims Hamas has fired 1,500 rockets at Israel, but most Israeli officials say the Iron Dome defense of them has been destroyed by the Iron Dome in the air.
Israeli militants say the Iron Dome air defense system has a success rate of approximately 90%.
How Does The Iron Dome System Work?
The Iron Dome is an anti-rocket system that detects its target with the help of radar. It takes 20 to 45 seconds to find and hit opposing rockets. Any rocket fired from the vertically oriented structure of the Iron Dome is three meters long, and two more rockets are fired at a time. According to the foreign news agency, out of 75 rockets fired, 72 rockets were destroyed in the Iron Dome atmosphere, but only three rockets fell in Israel. It manages radar to find rockets fired at it and fire anti-ballistic missiles to stop them.
This technology differentiates between rockets that are targeting a densely populated area, or that will not reach their objective.
Only rockets that are advancing in more populated areas are stopped, which makes the system cheaper.
According to the Israel-based, primarily English-language online newspaper, each interceptor missile costs about $80,000.
When Was The Iron Dome Created?
The Iron Dome was founded in early 2006 during tensions between Israel and Hizbullah in southern Lebanon. First put into service in 2011.
The militant group fired hundreds of rockets, causing massive financial losses in Israel and killing dozens of Israelis.
A year later, Israel's state defense company, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, announced that it would develop a new anti-missile defense shield system.
The Iron Dome system initially failed, but was declared a success in 2011 and again in 2012 after US aid. Because the Israeli Air Force upgraded it while taking over.
The U.S.A also provided over 20 million for the project.
After years of experimentation, the system was first examined in combat in 2011 when it fired a rocket at the southern city of Beersheba.
What Are The Weaknesses Of Iron Dome?
The Iron Dome protected the Israelis from various attacks, but it is not completely 100 percent successful.
According to Israeli media, The system experienced a slight malfunction at the time that a Gaza rocket hit a residential building in the Israeli town of Kiryat Malachi, killing three residents.
Analyst Jonathan Marks from the BBC's foreign affairs says part of the Iron Dome that was defending the city of Ashkelon was offline in tensions because of a technical glitch.
Some experts think that the 90 percent success rate for rockets fired from Gaza will be hard to achieve against another enemy in the future.
Jonah Jeremy Bob, the Jerusalem Post's intelligence editor, says Hizbullah can fire more rockets in less time, making it harder for the Iron Dome to stop them all.
Although, a political scientist says that because of the dependence on the Iron Dome, Israeli authorities are slow to find a long-term solution to the issue.
"The success of the Iron Dome has led to failed foreign policies that have escalated tensions, and for many years now we have been caught in this never-ending cycle of violence," he told the BBC.