The Israel Ministry of Defence — Directorate of Defense Research & Development (Mafat), the IDF, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., announced this morning that they had successfully completed complex trials of the Protective Dome system in a naval configuration based on an advanced version of the Iron Dome rocket defense system. The naval version was operated for the first time on the Israel Navy’s Sa’ar 6 corvette INS Magen.
In the trial, various scenarios simulating existing and future threats that the system might have to deal with were tested. These included rockets, cruise missiles, and UAVs. The Ministry of Defense says that the success of the trial is an important milestone in the development of operational capabilities for protecting the State of Israel’s strategic assets and vital interests against existing and future threats in the area.
The ministry also says that Protective Dome’s capability is an important layer in the ability of the Israel Navy’s ships to defend themselves and their zones of operation and contributes to Israel naval superiority in the region.
Protective Dome is part of a layered air defense array that includes the Arrow and David’s Sling (formerly Magic Wand) longer range systems. Rafael is the developer of Protective Dome’s weapons system, while Israel Aerospace Industries, through its Elta subsidiary, is the developer of the Adir naval radar system, and mPrest is the developer of Protective Dome’s command and control system.
Minister of Defense Benny Gantz said that the technology that Israel was developing in its multi-layered defense array gave it vital freedom of action against Iran’s proxies in the region and the weapons at their disposal, that were steadily developing. “We continue to be two steps ahead of them, and we shall continue to upgrade our defensive and offensive capabilities to preserve Israel’s regional superiority in defending its citizens and its economy.”
Moshe Fattal, head of the Homa administration within the Directorate of Defense Research & Development at the Ministry of Defense, which is responsible for the rocket and missile defense systems, said, “By means of the powerful radar that was developed specially for the protection mission, the system successfully identified the threats launched at it, rockets, cruise missiles, and UAVs, and, on the high seas, fired naval Iron Dome interceptors at them, which destroyed them with perfect accuracy.”
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