The steel dome, Israel's anti-missile defense system, has an almost mythical status among Israelis. The Israeli military estimates that it protects against 90 percent of the rockets fired by militants from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory and the West Bank.
But the dome faces a test of strength if Israel comes under unprecedented fire from militants from Gaza, as well as Hezbollah from Lebanon. Why?
The ongoing war between Hamas and Israel could be the biggest test yet for the Steel Dome.
In just two weeks, Hamas has fired 7.000 rockets at Israel, according to the Israeli military. Which is more than in the four previous wars fought between Hamas and Israel since the militant group took control of Gaza in 2007.
On the first day of fighting, on October 7, Hamas fired 2.000 rockets, according to West Point, the US military academy. Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants have also fired hundreds of rockets along Israel's northern border since the fighting began.
Key to deflecting and intercepting missiles on the Israeli side is the Steel Dome, an advanced anti-missile system that Israel installed in 2011.
The system, developed by the state-owned company Rafael, has proven particularly effective over the years in intercepting enemy missiles.
On the website of the Rafael company, marking the 10th anniversary of the installation of the Steel Dome in 2021, data was published that the system intercepted more than 2.500 missiles.
Developed in a record time of two and a half years as the only system in the world that has multiple functions considering that it registers missiles, cannon artillery and mortars (C-RAM), aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, for land and naval air defense, it works 24 hours in all weather conditions.
Development of the Steel Dome began in 2007, and after tests in 2008 and 2009, the first batteries were installed in 2011. The system has been improved several times since then.
How does the Steel Dome work?
The steel dome consists of a series of rocket charges, batteries, which use radars to detect and intercept a short-range missile.
Each battery has three or four launchers, 20 missiles and a radar, according to Raytheon, the US defense giant that makes the systems along with Israel's Rafael Defense Systems.
When the radar detects a missile, the system determines whether it is moving toward a populated area, as the AP writes.
If so, it launches missiles to intercept and destroy the missile. If the system detects that the missile is moving towards open space or towards the sea, it allows it to fall, thus preserving and saving missiles. According to the military, all interceptions take place in Israeli airspace.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declined to comment on how many charges are currently deployed. But as of 2021, Israel had 10 charging stations, i.e. batteries that are distributed throughout the country. Each charge had the capacity to defend and cover an area of 155 square kilometers, according to Raytheon.
The steel turret is part of a larger, layered air defense system that includes the Arrow, which intercepts long-range ballistic missiles, as well as the David Slingshot, which intercepts medium-range missiles such as those believed to be in possession of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Both systems, like the Steel Dome, were developed jointly with the United States. Israel is also developing a laser-based system, called the Steel Beam, which it says will be able to intercept missiles and other short-range threats for a fraction of the cost of maintaining the Steel Dome. Israel says the system, which is being developed with US funding, is not yet in place.
What is the price of the system?
Each missile costs an average of 40.000 to 50.000 dollars (about 47.000 euros), according to the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.
The US invested heavily in the system, helping with development and repair costs after a period of fighting.
At first, Israel fully financed the Steel Dome, but due to the high cost of maintenance, it was necessary to seek the help of an ally, the United States, which has been providing support since 2016.
The US government has spent more than $2,9 billion on the Steel Dome, according to CNN, for which a US official said Israel is likely to seek additional interceptors in addition to other military aid from Washington following the October 7 Hamas attack.
According to the research service of the US Congress, the funds so far have been spent on charges, interceptions, production and maintenance costs.
In addition to supporting the Steel Dome, the US provides a wide range of security assistance to Israel. In the week following the Hamas attack, the Pentagon and Israeli officials announced the arrival of US planes with supplies of ammunition and anti-aircraft defenses. The assistance was extended to artillery shells, armored vehicles and missile guidance, as the Defense News portal writes.
How accurate is the Steel Dome?
It is roughly estimated to be 85 to 90 percent efficient, according to the Rafael company.
But it can be overloaded in case of mass fire, allowing some rockets to pass through the wall.
Although it has worked well so far, the risk increases if Hezbollah enters the war. It is estimated that Hezbollah has about 150.000 rockets and missiles.
Despite Israeli military officials talking about 90 percent effectiveness of the Steel Dome, Israel's defense system, research fellow at the Middle East Institute in Singapore, Jean-Loup Samaan, tells Euronews that the effectiveness of the Steel Dome is "highly disputed."
"So far, the Israeli government has said that the effectiveness of the Steel Dome is quite high. They've been talking about a 90 percent interception rate. The first question is, what exactly does that interception rate mean?"
Saaman points out that the Steel Dome intercepts or destroys missiles that threaten to hit civilian, populated urban areas.
"If you have a rocket that's fired from Gaza into an uninhabited zone in Israel, the Steel Dome will not activate. So it's hard to say exactly what 90 percent effectiveness means," he said.
Another point that questions the effectiveness of the system is that Samaan claims that the installation of the Steel Dome has not deterred Hamas or other Palestinian militant groups from launching rocket attacks into Israeli territory.
The University of Navarre's assessment of the effectiveness of the Steel Dome states that "while the Dome is sufficient for now, it cannot be expected to continue like this forever. Despite the system's effectiveness, it is only a matter of time before militants develop tactics or acquire the technology to overwhelm. It can be predicted that the time needed to achieve this will be significantly reduced given the strong support of the militant allies and the considerable resources they receive."
Perhaps the biggest concern at the moment, given the Steel Dome's ability to protect Israeli territory, is the possibility of regional escalation.
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