Today in 2011, the first operational interception of the Iron Dome system was carried out.
At the beginning of the 2000s, the Israeli security establishment realized that the biggest threat to the home front was not a ground raid or artillery fire, but a missile strike. Ballistic missiles had a defensive solution in the form of an Arrow missile, but a lower layer of defense was needed – a need that was made clear after the Second Lebanon War (in which dozens of civilians and soldiers were killed in the rear), and the increase in rocket fire from the Gaza Strip following the disengagement. Among the various projects that were examined, Defense Minister Amir Peretz decided to push with all his might Rafael’s Iron Dome project, when Prime Minister Ehud Olmert organized American funding, amounting to tens of billions of dollars. Schematically, the system works with a radar that detects launches and intercepts them using an accurate maneuverable interceptor missile. The first batteries of the system were placed in the Gaza perimeter during 2011, and since then another 10 have been deployed throughout the country; the system has proven its effectiveness in all the rounds of fighting that have taken place since then, with almost optimal prevention of attempts to harm the home front.
Photo Source: Wikipedia
