Iran’s missile attack: How do Israel’s Iron Dome and Arrow missile defences work?
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A rocket flying in the sky after Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, on Oct 1.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Israel’s missile defences were activated on Oct 1 to repel a salvo of Iranian ballistic missiles fired in retaliation
Here are details of the multi-layered air defences Israel has been honing since coming under Iraqi Scud salvoes in the 1991 Gulf War.
Arrow
The long-range Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 interceptors, developed by Israel with an Iranian missile threat in mind, are designed to engage threats, both in and outside the atmosphere, respectively.
It operates at an altitude that allows for the safe dispersal of any non-conventional warheads.
A surface-to-surface missile launched from Yemen towards Israel is intercepted by Israel’s Arrow system outside of Israeli territory, according to the Israeli military, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, on Sept 27.
PHOTO: REUTERS
State-owned Israel Aerospace Industries is the project’s main contractor, while Boeing is involved in producing the interceptors.
On Oct 31, 2023, Israel's military said it had used the Arrow aerial defence system for the first time since the Oct 7 outbreak of the war with Hamas to intercept a surface-to-surface missile fired from the area of the Red Sea towards its territory.
In September 2023, Germany signed a letter of commitment with Israel to buy the Arrow-3 system for nearly €4 billion (S$5.7 billion).
David’s Sling
The mid-range David’s Sling system is designed to shoot down ballistic missiles fired from 100km to 200km away.
Developed and manufactured jointly by Israel’s state-owned Rafael Advanced Defence Systems and the US RTX Corp, formerly known as Raytheon, David’s Sling is also designed to intercept aircraft, drones and cruise missiles.
Israel’s David’s Sling system operating for interception as rockets are fired from Lebanon, as seen from Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sept 25.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Iron Dome
The short-range Iron Dome air defence system
Developed by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems with US backing, it became operational in 2011. Each truck-towed unit fires radar-guided missiles to blow up short-range threats such as rockets, mortars and drones in midair.
Rafael says it delivered two Iron Dome batteries to the US Army in 2020. Ukraine is seeking a supply as well in its war with Russia, though Israel has so far provided Kyiv with only humanitarian support and civil defences.
A naval version of the Iron Dome
The system determines whether a rocket is on course to hit a populated area; if not, the rocket is ignored and allowed to land harmlessly.
Iron Dome was originally billed as providing city-size coverage against rockets with ranges of between 4km and 70km, but experts say this has since been expanded.
Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepting rockets after Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, on Oct 1.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Laser-based system
Israel’s interception systems cost between tens of thousands and millions of dollars to shoot down incoming threats. Israel is developing a laser-based system to neutralise enemy rockets and drones at an estimated cost of just US$2 per interception. REUTERS
