What is Israel’s Iron Dome defense system used against Iran’s drone and missile attacks and how does it work?

Israel faced a ferocious bombardment by more than 300 drones and ballistic missiles over Saturday night, in the latest challenge to the country’s ’90 percent effective’ missile interceptor Iron Dome.

All but a few were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including Britain and the United States, officials said.

The powerful short-range defense system was used to shoot down the incoming barrage of drones, cruise missiles and rockets fired from Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen, and has also worked at full strength to deal with attacks throughout the six-month war against Hamas.

Iron Dome works to detect incoming rockets before determining its path and intercepting them, and has blasted thousands of airborne weapons since it first became operational in 2011.

The three-pronged, multi-billion pound air defense system, developed by Israel with US backing after the 2006 Lebanon War, has been crucial to defending Israeli cities for over a decade and is credited with preventing serious injuries or casualties.

MailOnline has investigated the impressive system and how it works.

What is Iron Dome?

Iron Dome is an all-weather mobile system in Israel consisting of at least 10 missile defense batteries strategically distributed around the country.

The device consists of three main sections: a radar detection system, a computer to calculate the trajectory of the incoming rocket, and a launcher that fires interceptors if the rocket is judged to hit a built-up or strategic area.

It uses sophisticated radar to detect incoming airborne objects such as drones, rockets and missiles, relaying the information back to a command and control center.

Here the threat is tracked to assess whether it is a false alarm and the potential destination of the flying object.
Each truck-towed unit then fires radar-guided missiles to blow up short-range threats like rockets, mortars and drones.

The system fires the interceptors — just 6 inches wide and 10 feet long — at the incoming threats that appear most likely to hit a populated area.

Each Iron Dome battery consists of three to four launchers, each capable of carrying up to 20 Tamir interceptor missiles.

The batteries can neutralize threats from up to 43 miles away, while ignoring projectiles expected to hit unpopulated areas.

In late 2012, Israel said it hoped to increase the range of Iron Dome’s intercepts, from a maximum of 43 to 155 miles away and make it more versatile, so it could intercept rockets coming from two directions simultaneously.

The 10 Iron Domes located throughout the country are capable of defending up to nearly 60 square kilometers of land – protecting countless civilians and critical infrastructure.

Developed by state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, the system was upgraded in 2012, but details of the changes were not made public.

The United States supported the initial project with a $200,000 grant in 2006.

Iron Dome is just one of Israel’s three-tiered missile defense system, along with The Arrow and David’s Sling.

The Arrow system, developed with the United States, is designed to intercept long-range missiles, including the types of ballistic missiles Iran said it fired on Saturday.

The Arrow, which operates outside the atmosphere, has been used in the current war to intercept long-range missiles launched by Houthi militants in Yemen.

David’s Sling, also co-developed with the United States, is intended to intercept medium-range missiles, such as those held by Hezbollah in Lebanon.

How effective is Iron Dome?

Iron Dome’s effectiveness has improved since it first successfully took out an enemy projectile in April 2011, achieving a reported success rate of about 90 percent, according to Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

In Saturday’s attack, most of the roughly 300 missiles were intercepted by the defensive weapon before reaching Israeli territory, while others were shot down by the United States and other allies.

It has also proven highly effective in recent years, with its capabilities particularly highlighted in 2021 after militant groups in Gaza fired at least 4,000 rockets during the May 11-day war.

In the first 24 hours of the conflict, 470 rockets were fired with the Iron Dome system intercepting about 90% of the rockets heading for populated areas in Israel.

In the US, Lt. Gen. Henry A. Obering wrote in Defense News: ‘Iron Dome has stopped over 2,000 rockets fired at Israeli population centers with a remarkable success rate, an achievement that also changed US thinking about missile defense at home.

‘Iron Dome is the most proven and affordable solution against very short range fires.’

He hailed it as a ‘game changer’.

On the battlefield during Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012 and when used in Operation Protective Edge in 2014, the system was 84 percent and 91 percent successful, respectively.

But things get more complicated if the drones fly so low that the radar can’t detect them.

Israel has hundreds of interceptor missiles, but the Iron Dome has come under enormous pressure, as seen on October 7 when Hamas attacked Israel with a barrage of thousands of missiles.

Hamas said it fired 5,000 rockets in the initial attack, and Israel’s military countered by saying only 2,500 rockets were fired.

“That amount was simply too much for Iron Dome to manage,” the Modern War Institute report said.

This suggests that Iron Dome has a limit to the number of rockets it is capable of intercepting, and if this number is exceeded, the rest of the rockets will penetrate the system, according to a Forbes report from 2021.

Just two days after the Oct. 7 massacre, the Israeli government asked the United States to provide more precision-guided munitions for its fighter jets and more interceptors for its Iron Dome missile defense system, according to a U.S. official.

How much does it cost?

A complete battery costs an estimated £80 million to produce, while each interceptor costs up to around £40,000 to launch, according to the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv think tank.

The US has invested heavily in the system, helping with development costs and replenishing it in times of conflict.

Since 1946, the United States has devoted nearly nine billion pounds to Israeli missile defense systems, including nearly two billion pounds to Iron Dome, according to the Congressional Research Service.

US President Joe Biden has said he will ask Congress for £11.4bn in military aid to Israel – which would help with air and missile defense systems such as Iron Dome, according to the White House.

“We are calling for additional military assistance, including munitions and interceptors to rebuild the Iron Dome,” Biden said.

The future of the Iron Dome

Rafael says it delivered two Iron Dome batteries to the US Army in 2020 – but the US isn’t the only country interested in getting its hands on the powerful batteries.

Last year, Ukraine asked Israel for an Iron Dome system and other air defense equipment to defend against Iranian ballistic missiles and attack drones used by Russia in its ongoing invasion.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this year that he supports Ukraine but ruled out sending Kiev an Iron Dome system over concerns that it could be obtained by Iran, which would greatly jeopardize Israel’s security.

Several other countries have also expressed interest in purchasing Iron Dome systems in recent years, including Germany, Romania and India.

A naval version of the Iron Dome to protect ships and sea-based assets was also deployed in 2017.