Most long-range cruise missiles are intercepted
Iron Dome specializes in short-distance kit
Double defense, including Patriot and Arrow
On the 12th (local time), Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system intercepted rockets fired from Lebanon towards Israel. /Reuters Yonhap News
On the 14th (local time), Iran launched its first military attack on the Israeli mainland, using hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles. However, Israel claims to have intercepted 99% of the drones and ballistic missiles, drawing attention once again to Israel’s multilayered air defense system.
Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson for the Israeli military, stated that most of the drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles fired by Iran were intercepted outside the border, and fighter jets also intercepted ten cruise missiles outside their airspace. He mentioned that a few rockets fell in Israel, severely injuring a seven-year-old girl in a Bedouin Arab village. One missile hit a military base, but the damage was minor, and there were no casualties.
The U.S. military is also known to have headed off a significant number of drones heading toward Israel. The Israeli army reported that it intercepted most of the ballistic missiles with its Arrow air defense system, with strategic partners aiding the effort.
For the past six months, Israel has been at war with Hamas and has effectively blocked rocket, drone, and missile attacks, proving its robust air defense network.
However, a video that appears to show Iran launching a supersonic missile spread briefly on social media, raising questions about whether Israel’s air defense network was successful in its defense. The truth of the matter has not been confirmed. Iran revealed the development of a hypersonic missile called Fattah on the 6th.
According to AP, the defense company that developed the short-range missile defense system Iron Dome has been developing a hypersonic missile defense network called Sky Sonic. Israel is also developing a new air defense system called the Iron Beam, which uses laser technology. This methodology is much cheaper than existing weapons and is a game changer, but it has not yet been used in combat. The Arrow system is playing a crucial role in thwarting Iran’s attack as an air defense network jointly developed by Israel and the United States. It intercepts long-range cruise missiles like those launched by Iran this time. It has also been effective in intercepting missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
David’s Sling was also jointly developed with the United States and intercepted medium-range missiles owned by Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
The Patriot missile developed by the United States is the original model of Israel’s air defense system. It was used to intercept Iraq’s Scud missiles during the first Gulf War in 1991. It is currently used to shoot down aircraft, including drones. The Iron Dome, developed by Israel with the support of the United States, is an air defense system specialized in intercepting short-range rockets. It has intercepted thousands of short-range missiles fired by Hamas and Hezbollah in the ongoing Gaza war, and according to Israel, its success rate exceeds 90%.
However, the Iron Dome has been criticized because it is relatively expensive, costing millions of dollars. In contrast, the cost of Hamas’s mortars or short-range rockets, known as Qassam rockets, is only a few hundred dollars. For this reason, the development of the Iron Beam is alluring because it uses a more affordable laser beam.
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