Iron Dome: Israel’s defence system explained

Initially created by Israeli firms Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, the Iron Dome air defence system became operational in 2011. Israel is protected by ten Iron Dome ’batteries’ consisting of three to four stationary launchers, 20 Tamir missiles and a battlefield radar. These batteries can each defend up to nearly 60 square miles. Incoming threats like Hamas’ barrage of rockets fired at Israel from Gaza are identified by radar. The Iron Dome then fires a missile to intercept these threats, preventing them from hitting their targets. The technology is so advanced, it can tell which missiles are likely to hit densely populated areas and those that would cause less destruction. It typically only fires at missiles it considers to be dangerous. The military claims it has a greater than 90% success rate but the volume of rockets being fired by terror groups at Israel, means some do get through. Without it, the Israeli death toll would be catastrophic. The Tamir interceptor missiles, manufactured by defence firm Raytheon, are also hugely costly - around $50,000 each. The United States has vowed to supply Israel with the ammo it needs to defend itself. The Sun newspaper brings you the latest breaking news videos and explainers from the UK and around the world Become a Sun Subscriber and hit the bell to be the first to know Read The Sun: Like The Sun on Facebook: Follow The Sun on Twitter: Subscribe to The Sun on Snapchat: #israel #hamas #gaza