Iron Dome

09.10.2023

Iron Dome

Why in the news?

Recently,Iron Dome, Israel's anti-missile system, intercepted over 5,000 rockets launched from Gaza, a narrow strip that is home to 2.3 million Palestinians.

WHAT IS IRON DOME?

• The ‘Iron Dome’ is ground-to-air short-range air defence system which intercepts incoming missiles, rockets and even Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and destroys them mid-air
• The Iron Dome was developed by two Israeli firms, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, with significant support from the United States, and was introduced in 2011.
• The cost to launch an Iron Dome interceptor ranges between $50,000 and $100,000.

Features

• It is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets, mortars, and artillery shells fired from distances of 4 kilometres to 70 kilometres.
• The anti-missile system is particularly effective against low-altitude and slow-moving projectiles.
• It is powered by missile-defense batteries.
• It has all-weather capabilities and is able to function night or day and in all conditions, including fog, rain, dust storms, and low clouds.
• It is able to launch a variety of interceptor missiles.
• It also has the ability to be moved, either onto ships or across land, to better suit defense needs.
•  The system has proven its combat readiness with over 5,000 successful interceptions to date, including rockets, mortars, and artillery shells, as well as aircraft, helicopters, and UAVs at very short range.

The Iron Dome operates through three main components:

1. a radar that detects incoming rockets
2. a command-and-control system that determines the threat level
3. an interceptor that seeks to destroy the incoming rocket before it strikes

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

• These are aircraft with no on-board crew.
• The ‘drones’ can range from remotely piloted to fully automated, which means that it relies on a system of sensors and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) detectors to calculate its movement.
•  It can fly at a controlled level of height and speed for a long period of time.
• They  have a role in many aspects of aviation ranging from monitoring climate change to carrying out post disaster search operations, filming, communication in remote areas to military operations.
• UAVs first were massively deployed in the Vietnam War and began to be used in a range of new roles, such as acting as decoys in combat, launching missiles and dropping leaflets.

The Gaza Strip or simply Gaza,

• It is a Palestinian enclave on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
• It borders Egypt on the southwest for 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) and Israel on the east and north along a 51 km (32 mi) border.
• The Gaza Strip and the West Bank are claimed by the de jure sovereign State of Palestine.

The interceptor missile

• It is an anti-ballistic missile (ABM).
•  It is a surface-to-air missile.
• It is designed to counter ballistic missiles like intermediate range and intercontinental ballistic missiles launched from any country.
• It is used to deliver nuclear, chemical, biological or conventional warheads in a ballistic flight trajectory.

Source:NDTV