Daily News Analysis

ISRAEL’S MISSILE DEFENCE SHIELD- IRON DOME

stylish_lining

ISRAEL’S MISSILE DEFENCE SHIELD- IRON DOME

Why in the News?

Around 2,200 rockets were fired towards southern and central Israel through a multi-pronged attack by Gaza-based militant group Hamas from land, sea and air, which was shot down by ‘Iron Dome’ defensive shield of Israel.

Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system:

  1. Iron Dome is a short-range anti-rocket, anti-mortar, and anti-artillery system with an intercept range of 2.5 to 43 miles.
  2. It was developed by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems of Israel.
  3. Israel has at least 10 Iron Dome batteries deployed throughout the country, each being designed to defend a 60-square-mile populated area.
  4. Working of the Iron Dome:
    1. Its targeting system and radar first track the trajectory of incoming projectiles.
    2. Then Tamir interceptors will be fired which will only target at those which are likely to land in populated areas or important areas/targets.
    3. In the past, Israel has put Iron Dome’s interception rate at as high as 97%.
  5. In the current Hamas attack and Israeli military options, the interception rate might have degraded given the high number of rockets fired and their launch frequency may have overwhelmed the system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Layered air defence:

  1. Israel has a four-layered air defence network that can effectively tackle a range of projectiles, short-range mortars, rockets and long-range ballistic missiles.
  2. The layered air defence mechanisms shall include:
    1. Iron Dome for short range
    2. David’s Sling for low to mid-range
    3. Arrow II for upper-atmospheric
    4. Arrow III for Exo-atmospheric
  3. The US has funded nearly $3 billion batteries, interceptors, co-production costs, and general maintenance to Israel for Iron Dome.
  4.  The U.S. began financially supporting Israel’s development of Iron Dome in 2011.
  5. The US and Israel set up a joint venture ‘Raytheon Rafael Area Protection Systems’ in 2020:
    1. The Tamir interceptors (the U.S. version is called SkyHunter) are manufactured at Raytheon’s facility in US and then assembled in Israel. 
    2. Israel also maintains the ability to manufacture Tamir interceptors within Israel.

Israel’s extensive presence in the Indian military ecosystem:

  1. Especially in air defence, Israel has a great presence in India’s military ecosystem.
  2. Iron Dome was pitched to India in the past to tackle threats from across the Line of Control (LoC), especially by terrorist groups, which was turned down as India does not face such extremely close-range threats.
  3. Instead, Indian military had expressed interest in the Arrow system.
  4. India has procured some air defence elements and radars to for its indigenous Ballistic Missile Defence system.
  5. Israeli-made weapons, including the Iron Dome has increasingly been procured by Ukraine repeatedly in the current war.

The Great Nicobar Project

The Great Nicobar Project is a massive infrastructure overhaul that has emerged as a focal point for India’s strategic and developmental ambitions. Piloted by NITI Aayog, the project is valu
Share It

Global and National Developments on Gender Recognition

Global Context: United States: The Trump administration recognized only two genders—male and female—excluding transgender individuals. This approach raised questions about the
Share It

Voting Rights for Internal Migrants in India

Universal Adult Suffrage (Article 326 of the Indian Constitution) ensures that every citizen aged 18 and above has the right to vote in Lok Sabha (Parliament) and State Legislative Assembly
Share It

Urban Governance

As India’s urban population continues to grow rapidly, achieving gender equity in urban governance is essential for building inclusive, sustainable, and resilient cities. The exclusion of wo
Share It

Maternity rights

The recent Supreme Court judgment in the case of K. Uma Devi vs State of Tamil Nadu marks a landmark shift in recognizing maternity rights as a Fundamental Right under Article 21 of the Indian Con
Share It

India's Criminal Justice System

The recent acquittal of the 12 men convicted in the Mumbai Train Blast Case (2006) by the Bombay High Court has reignited debate over the effectiveness and integrity of India's criminal justic
Share It

India's Aviation Safety

The preliminary report of the Air India Boeing 787 crash in Ahmedabad by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) remains inconclusive, raising troubling questions about the pilot's i
Share It

Antimicrobial Resistance

India’s steps to regulate the use of antibiotics in food animal production reflect a growing global consensus on the need to address Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). The potential consequence
Share It

solar energy potential

India’s push toward leveraging its vast solar energy potential represents a critical strategy for accelerating the transition to net-zero emissions by 2070, as part of its long-term climate
Share It

submarine cables

The issue of securing submarine cables is increasingly being recognized as a sovereign imperative in today's data-driven world. Subsea cables are crucial infrastructure for global communicatio
Share It

Newsletter Subscription


ACQ IAS
ACQ IAS