Working of the Israel's Iron Dome

Working of the Israel's Iron Dome


1In response to repeated rocket attacks from the Palestinian territory of Gaza over the past few years, Israel has deployed a missile defense system called Iron Dome.
An Iron Dome launcher fires an interceptor rocket near the Israeli city of Ashkelon on 19th November, 2012.
The Israeli government says Iron Dome has successfully intercepted nine out of every 10 rockets it has been used against. (Darren Whiteside/Reuters)


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What is the Iron Dome?

Iron Dome is a missile-defense system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., an Israeli military contractor, in conjunction with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
It is designed to intercept incoming rockets, long-range artillery and aircraft, and destroy them in the air before they reach populated areas.
Iron Dome was first deployed in March 2011 to thwart missiles being launched into Israel by Hamas militants in Gaza.
The Iron Dome defense system fires to intercept incoming missiles from Gaza in the Israeli port town of Ashdod on 15th November, 2012.
The system can fire clusters of missiles simultaneously to intercept multiple incoming targets.

How The Iron Dome Works?

Iron Dome has three components:
(i)   The detection and radar installation
(ii)  Battle management and weapons control (BMC)
(iii) The missile firing unit itself
The radar system detects opposing missiles or artillery shells when they are launched.
The BMC is the brain of the system. It calculates the trajectory of the rocket and where it is expected to hit. The BMC is capable of tracking and firing at multiple targets simultaneously.
If an incoming rocket is headed to a low-risk area, like an empty field, Iron Dome will leave it alone.
But if a rocket is on a path to a sensitive target, like a populated area, Iron Dome launches a Tamir missile that can intercept and destroy it.
The system also figures out the best place to intercept the incoming target along its trajectory, to try and avoid debris falling on populated areas.
Incoming targets travel extremely fast, and the trajectory calculations and decision to launch are done within seconds.
The Tamir interceptor missiles cost about $40,000 US each, and can be fired day or night and in any type of weather.
They are guided for the first part of their flight by the radar system and BMC on the ground, which keeps them on course.
When the Tamir nears its target, the missile's own onboard radar takes over to take it as close as possible to the incoming rocket or shell.
The warhead it carries explodes, destroying both the Tamir and the incoming target.
The Iron Dome installations can be moved by a truck if necessary, and typically have a radar unit controlling three launchers. Fully loaded, each launcher contains 20 missiles.
The launchers can be grouped together, or spread out to cover a larger area.
Iron Dome installations are usually configured with a coverage radius of about 70 kilometres.