What is Iron Dome ?
nbcnews.com
As the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians continues along the Gaza border, Israelis have been putting to use an anti-rocket defense
system called "Iron Dome" meant to intercept Palestinian rockets that are headed for major population centers. Along with its tally of "terror
target" strikes, the Israel Defense Forces' Twitter feed has announced the number of incoming rockets grounded by the system.
Iron Dome is a Dual-Mission Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar and Very Short Range Air Defense System . It has sensors to detect and intercept
short- to medium-range rockets .
It was commissioned by Israel in 2007 following a year in which the country endured thousands of missile attacks, mainly concentrated in the
country's northern region.
It was developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems . The Full system consists of 3 portable parts :
- Radar unit : Detects threats in a radius up to about 40 miles
- Battle Management and Control truck : Information on spotted projectiles is evaluated and the command is given to either intercept or ignore
- Interceptor unit : launches a missile programmed to cross paths with the incoming rocket or shell, and detonate it in a way that is as harmless as
possible
The Iron Dome was first deployed in March 2011, and it intercepted its first enemy rocket that April.
Iron Dome batteries are programmed to ignore projectiles that are predicted to land in unpopulated areas .
