"Dozens of drones" that quickly became several hundred aerial devices. That was the warning voice sent by the Israeli Army when it confirmed that the drones were beginning their journey from Iran towards the country. Against that threat, they already had a response ready: the
"Iron Dome"
. This is the defensive system that they activated just after Sunday (local time), to stop the legion of drones that were entering their territory.
Known as the
Dome
or the
Iron Dome
, this advanced technology system functions as a
projectile launch detector
at a range of 4 to 70 kilometers. Determines whether the trajectory of the projectile - in this case, the Iranian drones - harms populated areas or important monuments in Israeli territory.
The dome's response is automated: faced with the threat,
it fires another Tamir interceptor missile to detonate the intruder in the air
.
This is what happened this Sunday, minutes before 2 in the morning (local time), when the first lights began to be seen in the sky over Israel, as reflected in dozens of videos on social networks. As the Army had anticipated, the entry of the drones into the country's airspace triggered the alarms and sirens, so the inhabitants ran to take refuge in the bunkers. Meanwhile, the authorities were carrying out the interception of the drones thanks to their Iron Dome.
This mobile system, also known as a battery, is made up of three elements that protect the Middle Eastern country: a
detection and tracking radar
, a
weapons control and battle management system
, and a
missile firing unit
.
The radar detects with several layers of monitoring and monitors the launch of the rockets, the control system calculates the impact point and, if it is in an important location, a missile is fired to stop the enemy projectile and its payload explodes in a place where no damage will occur. Plus, it works under any weather conditions.
The first battery was installed on March 27, 2011 near the city of
Beersheba
. And a few days later, a first Grad missile launched from Gaza was successfully intercepted. In 2021, Israel had 10 mobile batteries to completely cover the territory.
Last October it was put to the test following the terrorist attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel.
The Dome was developed by the company
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems
(known as Rafael), with the
financial support of the United States
.
According to a statement from the Congressional Research Service (CRS), until March 2023 the North American country had supplied US$3 billion to Israel for the interceptors, batteries, production cost and general maintenance of the dome.
The Iron Dome is considered one of the most advanced defense systems in the world.
This is the "Iron Dome", Israel's defensive system