Iron Dome simultaneously intercepts drones and rockets in hi-tech leap [vid]

After significant upgrades, Israel’s famed Iron Dome missile-defense system successfully and simultaneously intercepted a barrage of rockets and drones in a recent round of tests.

The news comes as the IDF warns of a possible new confrontation with Hezbollah in Lebanon, where the Iranian-backed terrorist group is constantly working to improve its missile and drone capabilities.

The tests were completed on Tuesday by the Defense Ministry and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. They demonstrated a significant upgrade of Iron Dome’s technological capabilities.

The Iron Dome was tested in a range of complex scenarios and successfully intercepted and destroyed targets simulating existing and emerging threats, including the simultaneous interception of multiple drones as well as a salvo of rockets and missiles.

This test took place in the South with the participation of IAF Air Defense Command. The new version of the Iron Dome system will be delivered to the IAF and the Navy for operational use and will strengthen Israel’s multitiered missile-defense architecture.

The development of the Iron Dome is led by the Defense Ministry’s Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO). The prime contractor for its development is Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

The system’s radar, which is capable of projecting where an incoming missile is going to land, is developed by ELTA, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The command and control system (BMC) is developed by mPrest.

“The technological capabilities developed by defense industries, including the Iron Dome and the multitiered missile-defense array, are central to the defense of the State of Israel,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz said.

“In the face of emerging and rapidly changing threats, these new capabilities provide the political echelon and defense establishment with the operational flexibility that is critical to our national security,” he said. “I would like to thank the IMDO and Rafael engineering teams. Thanks to them, the citizens of Israel can sleep peacefully at night.”

IMDO Director Moshe Patel said: “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.

“In the three test campaigns conducted in the last few months, the Iron Dome system demonstrated outstanding capabilities against evolving threats, including successfully intercepting salvos of rockets and missiles, as well as intercepting multiple UAVs simultaneously.

“The new configuration of the Iron Dome system will be delivered to the IAF and Navy for operational use, and it will further strengthen the State of Israel’s multitiered missile-defense array,” Patel said.

Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Pini Yungman, general manager of Rafael’s Air and Missile Defense Division, said: “Rafael and the IMDO have been continuously upgrading Iron Dome’s capabilities over the last decade, constantly improving its technological and operational performance. Our forward-looking approach allows us to address projected threats that are emerging around us. The capabilities that were demonstrated in this last test will ensure additional protection to the State of Israel.”

Source: The Jerusalem Post

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