Iron Dome gets drone and cruise missile upgrade
Israel enhances its air defense system to counter evolving threats.
Shortly after Hamas launched a barrage of rockets toward the center of the country for the first time since October 7 last year, the Defense Ministry reported a "leap forward" in the capabilities of the IDF's central defense system, Iron Dome, and on the adaptation of its response to advanced threats, including cruise missiles and drones.
According to the Defense Ministry, these are existing threats and those that may still challenge Israel in future conflicts. The improvements made to the defense system, developed and manufactured by Rafael, were completed in a series of interception tests, after additional systems and elements were incorporated into it that contribute to improving its response to a wider range of threats. This is after it was put into operational use in 2011 and has successfully intercepted thousands of rockets launched toward the Israeli home front from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, and even more so since the start of the current war about a year and a half ago.
The system upgrade was led by the Directorate of Defense Research & Development (DDR&D) in the Ministry of Defense and engineers from Rafael's Air Defense Division. It was based on lessons learned during the current war, in which Iron Dome was the main response to the threat of rockets and UAVs directed at Israel. This was done, among other things, against the backdrop of the many difficulties with which the Air Force's air defense system dealt with the threat of explosive UAVs from Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen and the other proxy organizations that Iran arms in the Middle East.
Following the challenge of dealing with the UAVs, Rafael and the Defense Ministry made adjustments and updates to Iron Dome during the war in an attempt to expand its ability to intercept them. This, alongside ongoing attempts to bring about the maturation of new defense capabilities of the defense industries against these threats, including by emphasizing components related to detection – since unlike rockets, the characteristics of the UAV threat make identification difficult due to their low radar signature, their relatively slow flight, and their low altitude.
“The Israel Missile Defense Organization is continuously enhancing the Iron Dome’s capabilities—on both land and sea—even while operating under fire in wartime conditions,” said director Moshe Patel. “This latest round of testing has allowed us to validate several new capabilities informed directly by battlefield insights successfully.”
Rafael CEO Yoav Turgeman said in reference to the latest test that tested the new capabilities of Iron Dome that “Even after more than a decade of operational service, the Iron Dome defense system continues to demonstrate its immense contribution to Israel’s security and the protection of its citizens. The tests incorporated new capabilities across a wide range of scenarios, all of which the system successfully handled. These new capabilities will further enhance our ability to address future threats.”
About two months ago, the Ministry of Defense placed a huge order for interceptor missiles for the Iron Dome system with an undisclosed amount. This order is financed from the special assistance funds provided to Israel by former U.S. President Joe Biden and amounts to $8.7 billion. Of this amount, $5.2 billion is supposed to finance Israel's acquisition of Iron Dome interceptors and David Sling interceptor missiles, as well as the continued development and acquisition of the "Magen Or" laser defense system, which is being developed by Rafael and Elbit Systems.
