Israel's missile Defence shield: Iron Dome

Israel's missile Defence shield:

Iron Dome

Important for Prelims exam

Anti Missile Iron Dome Air Defense System, Tamir Interceptor Missile

Important for Mains Exam

GS-3: Israel's air defence systems and India-Israel defence relations.

October 16, 2023

Why in news:

  • Recently, in response to the attack on Israel by the Palestinian terrorist Hamas, Israel used the Anti Missile Iron Dome Air Defence System.
  • According to the Israel Defence Forces, about 2,200 rockets were fired toward southern and central Israel on October 7, 2023. Many of them were shot down by the Iron Dome Air Defence System.

Iron Dome:

Introduction:

  • Iron Dome is a short-range surface-to-air air defence system.
  • Iron Dome operates as a multi-layered missile defence system, which includes detection and tracking radar, a battle management and weapons control system and Tamir interceptor missiles.
  • Its primary mission is to detect incoming rockets, assess their trajectory and, if deemed a threat to populated areas, intercept and destroy them in mid-air.
  • The main objective of Iron Dome is to protect civilian lives and critical infrastructure.
  • It is used to counter rockets, cannon and mortars as well as aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
  • It is capable of functioning in all seasons including day and night.
  • It was first used in 2011. This system is capable of intercepting missiles from 2.5 miles to 43 miles away.
  • It has been developed by the state-run Rafael Advanced Defence System and Israel Aerospace Industries.
  • Rafale claims a success rate of over 90%, with over 2,000 interceptions. However experts consider its success rate to be more than 80%.
  • It can protect deployed and maneuvering forces, Forward Operating Bases and urban areas from indirect and aerial threats.
  • Iron Dome consists of three main systems, which work together to provide a protective shield to its deployment area.
  • Radar: It has a detection and tracking radar to detect any threat.
  • Weapon Control: It has battle management and weapon control system (BMC).
  • Missile Fire: It also has a missile firing unit. BMC basically establishes communication between the radar and the interceptor missile.

Israel's air defence system:

  • Israel currently has a four-tier air defence network consisting of a variety of projectiles:
  • Short range mortars, rockets and long range ballistic missiles.
  • Short range Iron Dome,
  • David's sling (lower to mid distance),
  • Arrow II (upper-atmospheric), and Arrow III (outer-atmospheric).

Construction of Iron Dome:

  • In March 2014, an agreement was signed between Israel and the US for the construction of Iron Dome under the 'Raytheon Rafale Area Defence System'.
  • As of 2020, various components of Iron Dome are manufactured at Raytheon's facilities in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere in the US.
  • The American version of Iron Dome is called Skyhunter.
  • Iron Dome systems are assembled in Israel. Israel also manufactures the Tamir interceptor.

India-Israel Defence Technical Relations:

  • Israel currently has a large presence in the Indian military ecosystem, especially air defence.
  • In the past, Iron Dome was deployed in India to deal with threats from across the Line of Control (LOC), especially by terrorist groups. However, this was of no use as the Indians do not face such extreme close threats. Instead, the Indian Army had expressed interest in Israel's arrow defence systems.
  • Finally, India procured some air defence equipment and radars to advance its indigenous ballistic missile defence system.

Conclusion:

  • Over the years, Iron Dome has proven its effectiveness in real-world scenarios. During the conflict with neighboring terrorist groups such as Hamas in Gaza, the system has intercepted large numbers of incoming rockets, helping to prevent large-scale casualties and damage. India needs to strengthen its air defence system to control the horrors of war and maintain the country's sovereignty in the coming years.

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mains exam question

Discuss Israel's air defence system and India-Israel defence relations.