Following the Israeli attack, Iran launched retaliatory strikes. Multiple missiles hit Tel Aviv. No deaths have been reported so far, but dozens of people have been injured.
Therefore, missiles occasionally penetrate the Iron Dome, the Israeli air defense system considered the best in the world.
What can he do and why is he still being considered for replacement?
What does the Israeli air defense system look like?
Although the "Iron Dome" is most often written about - because it does the most work - Israel bases its air defense on two other systems.
"David's Sling" is designed to shoot down medium-range missiles, drones and cruise missiles. The "Arrow" system tracks long-range missiles.
The Iron Dome is the most active, shooting down short-range rockets and artillery shells, which are most often used against Israel. A laser-based defensive weapon is also in preparation.
How does the Dome work?
The system has three parts – a radar, a control center and a rocket launcher. Everything happens in a matter of seconds, because, for example, when rockets are fired from the Gaza Strip, missiles fly between 15 and 90 seconds, depending on the part of Israel targeted.
The turret launches a defensive missile only when the radar and control center – both located on the trucks – calculate that the missile is heading towards a city or village. Near the mobile radar are four launch units equipped with twenty missiles each with a range of four to seventeen kilometers.
It is estimated that one such system can protect an area of 150 square kilometers, which is equivalent to a medium-sized city. It can simultaneously record six enemy missiles.
The defensive missile chases it through the sky and explodes nearby, destroying the attacking missile as well. There is still a risk of debris falling from the air, although intelligent missiles tend to destroy the missile outside populated areas.
There are a total of ten such systems in Israel. Some experts say it would be better to have thirteen, as this would cover the entire territory.
How successful is the system?
The manufacturer, state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, claims a success rate of around 90 percent.
When Hamas fired rockets at Israel – say, in October 2023, with an estimated three thousand rockets – the idea was simple: overload the Dome. Hamas has rudimentary missiles, often inaccurate, but if there are too many of them, even the Iron Dome can't catch them all.
How much is that?
Apart from its limited capacity, there is another reason why the Iron Dome only shoots down rockets that are flying towards populated areas or important infrastructure.
Because each anti-aircraft missile fired reportedly costs around $50.000. The cost of one Dome battery is between $40 and $70 million.
Since when has it been in use?
The idea for such an anti-missile system first emerged in the mid-1990s, when the Islamist paramilitary group Hezbollah, then based exclusively in Lebanon, began firing on Israel.
But the Iron Dome concept was only really launched in 2004, when Brigadier General Danny Gold took over as head of Israel's military defense research and development. Then, in 2007, the order came to develop the defensive shield. It has been operational since 2011.
The first Iron Dome was installed in March 2011 near the city of Beersheba, about 40 kilometers from the Gaza Strip. Since then, the lives of many Israelis have changed.
However, even Gold, who came up with the Dome, once said that many Israelis had become complacent and were relying too much on air defense.
"Defense is a combination of Iron Dome, sirens and extensive intelligence operations. All three levels support each other. But people should not sit at home and do nothing, thinking that the defense shield above their heads will take care of everything without fail," he said.
Are lasers coming?
The same state-owned company that makes the Dome recently unveiled a new anti-aircraft wonder called the "Iron Ray." The American concern Lockheed Martin also worked on it.
The principle of operation is similar, except that it is a laser weapon. It should be particularly effective against swarms of drones, which did not exist when Iron Dome was developed.
The huge advantage of the laser is that it is significantly cheaper. One shot reportedly costs a maximum of two thousand dollars. Ammunition is theoretically unlimited.
It is not yet known when the Iron Ray batteries will be ready for use.
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