Israel’s Iron Dome Weapon System (IDDS) has just been significantly advanced. The newest version of the anti-missile defense system will be delivered to the Israeli Air Force (IAF) and the Navy for operational use toward further bolstering national multi-tier capabilities.
IDDS development is led by the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), in the Directorate of Defense R&D (MAFAT) in the Ministry of Defense, with the primary contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. The system’s MMR radar is developed by ELTA, which is a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and the command and control system (BMC) is developed by mPrest.
According to a statement TV7 received from the Ministry of Defense Spokesperson’s Office, the IMDO and Rafael successfully completed three advanced test campaigns in the southern part of the country in the last few months with the participation of IAF Air Defense Warfighters, involving “a range of complex scenarios” during which the Iron Dome “successfully intercepted and destroyed targets simulating existing and emerging threats, including the simultaneous interception of multiple UAVs as well as a salvo of rockets and missiles.”
Israeli Alternate Premier and Defense Minister Benny Gantz thanked the IMDO and Rafael engineering teams, saying that due to their work the nation’s citizens can sleep peacefully at night. “The technological capabilities developed by defense industries, including the Iron Dome and the multi-tier missile defense array, are central to the defense of the State of Israel. In the face of emerging and rapidly changing threats, these new capabilities provide the political echelon and defense establishment with the operational flexibility that is critical to our national security,” he said.
IMDO Head Moshe Patel explained that the First Gulf War led to the establishment of his division. “Thirty years later,” he said, “and ten years after the Iron Dome’s first operational interception, we have achieved a significant leap forward in the technological capabilities of the Iron Dome system.”
Brig. Gen. (res) Pini Yungman, who is the General Manager of Rafael’s Air and Missile Defense Division, said that his company and the IMDO “have been continuously upgrading Iron Dome’s capabilities over the last decade, constantly improving its technological and operational performance.”
“Our forward-looking approach allows us to address projected threats that are emerging around us,” emphasized the General, underscoring that, “The capabilities that were demonstrated in this last test will ensure additional protection to the State of Israel.”