The Israel Ministry of Defense (Misrad HaBitahon) announced on 12 January that a series of trials of an improved Iron Dome air defence system had been completed successfully, marking a decade since the first tests of the Iron Dome missile system. The live-fire interception tests were led by Rafael, the system’s manufacturer, and conducted at a test range in southern Israel. It released video footage of multiple Iron Dome launches and interceptions filmed with an infrared camera. The system intercepted all threats, which were simulated in an area secured for the purpose of the experiment.
The air defence system tests demonstrated the capabilities of an advanced version of the Iron Dome system in a variety of scenarios that simulated the future threats that the system may confront. An advanced version of the Iron Dome was used in the tests, which “simulated the future threats that the system may confront,. It added that the improved system would be delivered to the Israeli Air Force. Iron Dome was originally optimised to intercept artillery rockets launched into Israel by Palestinian militants and the Lebanese group Hizbullah. The IMOD statement credited it with more than 2,000 operational interceptions.
The Israel Ministry of Defense and Rafael defense contractor test an upgraded version of the Iron Dome missile defense system in January 2020. The Iron Dome air defense system is made up of an advanced radar array, manufactured by a subsidiary of the Israel Aerospace Industries; interceptor missiles, produced by the Rafael defense contractor; and a command-and-control center made by the firm mPrest. The system represents the shortest-range system in the Israeli military’s multi-tiered air defense array. The upgraded version of the Iron Dome was tested by the ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development, known by the Hebrew acronym MAFAT.
Iron Dome (Kippat Barzel) is a mobile all-weather air defense system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries. The system is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of 4 kilometres to 70 kilometresaway and whose trajectory would take them to an Israeli populated area. The system is estimated to have a success rate of over 85 percent. Iron Dome is part of a future multi-tiered missile defense system that Israel is developing, which includes Arrow 2, Arrow 3, Iron Beam, Barak 8 and David’s Sling.
