On Tuesday, Israel’s Ministry of Defense released video of new advancements in its Iron Drome air-defense system, including the ability to shoot down multiple different types of targets simultaneously.
“The Israel Missile Defense Organization in the Ministry of Defense and @RAFAELdefense have successfully completed a test campaign of the Iron Dome,” Israel’s Ministry of Defense tweeted, with video of the Iron Dome in action. “This campaign demonstrated a significant upgrade of the system’s technological capabilities.”
The video includes a montage of Israeli ground crews launching target drones and rockets, before the Iron Dome systems engage and shoot them down.
“The Mapa administration at the Ministry of Defense’s Mapat and the Raphael company successfully completed a third series of experiments in the ‘Iron Dome’ system within a few months, which proved the technological leap in the core of the system,” a translated Israeli Defense Ministry press release stated Tuesday. “Simulates existing and potential threats, including simultaneous interception of several UAVs and missiles and rockets.”
The Iron Dome experiments are the third series of demonstrations to prove the air-defense system’s new technological advancements.
Israel’s navy and air force supported the demonstrations, which were conducted at a test site in southern Israel.
“The ‘Iron Dome’ system in its new configuration will be operationally absorbed by the Air Force and strengthen the multilayer defense system against missiles of the state of Israel,” the Israeli Defense Ministry statement said.
The Iron Dome system, developed jointly by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Inudstries, has been in service since 2011 and has undergone other improvement efforts over the years. The Iron Dome has frequently been used to intercept rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip.
Brigadier General (Res) Pini Yungman, the senior vice president of Rafael’s air defense systems, said, “We are not waiting to see what happens on the other side and how the enemy develops its systems – we assess what is going to happen and bring the system’s capabilities to overtake the enemy and the threats.”
Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) Director Moshe Patel told the Jerusalem Post, “Thirty years after the First Gulf War, which led to the establishment of the Israel Missile Defense Organization, and 10 years after the Iron Dome’s first operational interception, we have achieved a significant leap forward in the technological capabilities of the Iron Dome system.”
Israel has continued to advance the Iron Dome as part of a multi-layered missile defense system. Israel has also worked to advance laser interception systems to further protect against rocket, drone and mortar strikes.
