Israel is currently facing a war after a massive attack by the Hamas group. In just 20 minutes after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood was declared, over 5,000 rockets were fired towards Israel from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
The morning silence in Israel was shattered by air raid sirens and the Iron Dome system, considered one of the best air defense systems in the world, was deployed once again. With dramatic visuals, the Iron Dome intercepted and destroyed rockets mid-air, causing bursts of flares that illuminated the sky. However, the scale of this attack was unprecedented.
The Iron Dome system is a ground-to-air short-range air defense system deployed in different parts of Israel to counter rocket attacks, mortars, artillery shells, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) at short range. It consists of Detection and Tracking radar, Battle Management and Weapons Control, and a Missile Launcher armed with 20 Tamir Missiles. The system has been protecting Israel since 2011, after the 2006 Lebanon conflict where Hezbollah launched thousands of rockets, resulting in casualties and prompting Israel to develop its own defense system.
Here’s how the Iron Dome works: When a rocket is fired towards Israel, the Detection and Tracking radar detects its trajectory and relays the information to the weapons control system. The control system performs complex calculations to determine the rocket’s trajectory, speed, and expected target. If the rocket is headed towards a populated area or a strategic establishment, the launcher automatically fires a Tamir Missile to destroy the rocket mid-air and neutralize the threat. Israel has several batteries consisting of three to four launchers each. The Iron Dome system has a claimed success rate of 90 percent, with over 2,000 interceptions.
However, in the recent barrage of rockets from Hamas, the Iron Dome found itself overwhelmed. Hamas has been trying to find weaknesses in the Iron Dome system for years and has succeeded in doing so by launching multiple rockets in a short span of time, making it challenging for the system to intercept all targets. In this recent attack, over 5,000 rockets were launched in just 20 minutes. Hamas has continuously developed its crude rocket technology, increasing its range to cover major cities in Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
It is worth noting that a rocket launched by Hamas is much cheaper than the Tamir missile used to intercept it. However, the Iron Dome’s value extends beyond cost analysis. It has proven itself in previous conflicts, neutralizing targets and saving lives. During a conflict with Hamas in 2012, Israel claimed that 85 percent of the rockets fired from Gaza were intercepted. In the 2014 conflict, over 4,500 rockets were fired by Hamas, with a success rate of 90 percent interceptions.
In 2021, Israel announced upgrades to the Iron Dome system to handle additional aerial threats, including successful interceptions of rocket and missile salvos, as well as simultaneous interceptions of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles. During the Israel-Palestine conflict in May 2021, over 1,000 rockets were fired initially and over 4,500 throughout the conflict, with the Iron Dome system demonstrating a 90 percent strike rate against rockets.
Israel continues to rely on the Iron Dome system to defend its skies and protect its population from rocket attacks. Despite the challenges posed by Hamas and its evolving tactics, the Iron Dome remains a crucial component of Israel’s defense strategy.