The ‘Iron Dome’ of Israel
Would you like to have an invisible bodyguard, who can identify any potential threat and intercept it? Well, I would definitely love that, and so does Israel. Israel has developed an impenetrable defence in response to the air attacks in the ongoing conflict with Palestine. In a viral social media video, we can see it protecting Israel from all the rockets fired from Gaza. So let’s try and understand what exactly is air defence, why Israel needs it and how systems like these function.
Air Defence
Air defence systems first came into the picture at the beginning of the 20th century. However, significant expansion in these defences occurred only after WW2, as the missiles were getting more and more advanced. It was the need of the hour for the countries to upgrade their defensive equipment to be more advanced and reliable. The primary function of an air defence system is to detect any hostile aircraft, rocket or missile and then counter it before hitting the target with the help of a missile called an ‘interceptor’. The importance of air defence systems has increased over time.
Israel and the Iron Dome
Why does Israel need an air defence system? The enemy surrounded Israel, with a population of not even a crore, has had an armed conflict and a land conflict with its next-door neighbour Palestine since the end of the Second World War. Since then, Palestine’s major militant group Hamas and others are launching rockets and many mortar attacks on Israel from the Gaza strip and the West Bank regularly. Due to these increasing rocket threats from Palestine, Israel developed its air defence system known as the ‘Iron Dome’.
It seems like an intimidating defence system? It sure is. Now, let’s have a look at how this so-called Iron Dome protects Israel.
Iron Dome is an air defence system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, which became operational on 27 March 2011. It can detect and destroy rockets and other aerial attacks within a range of 70 kilometers, with a success rate of over 80 per cent. Still, Israel is planning to increase this range to 250 kilometers. Over the last decade, the Iron Dome has destroyed thousands of rockets launched from the Gaza strip that were meant to strike populated areas, eventually saving many innocent civilian lives.
After knowing briefly about Iron Dome, let us find out how it functions?
An Iron Dome battery consists of a battle management control unit, detection and tracking radar and a firing unit of three vertical launchers, with 20 interceptor missiles each. The interceptor missile uses a proximity fuse to detonate the target warhead in the air. The Iron Dome is deployed, in a layered defence, along with David’s ‘Sling and Arrow’ missile defence system, which are designed for medium- and long-range threats.
Specialties
But wait, there is more to it. One of the system’s essential advantages is its ability to identify the anticipated point of impact of the threatening rocket, to calculate whether it will fall in a built-up area or not, and to decide on this basis whether or not to engage it. It prevents unnecessary interception of rockets.
But is the Iron dome really impenetrable? It can act as a boon to one, but we all know that every coin has two sides. Similarly, Iron Dome also has its limitations.
Limitations
The system has a ‘saturation’ point. It is capable of engaging a certain number of targets at the same time, and no more. Another possible limitation is the system’s inability to cope with very short-range threats, as estimates put the Iron Dome’s minimum interception range at 5–7 kilometers. Another factor is the high cost of interception. The cost of an interceptor missile is about $40,000–50,000.
Air Defence Systems of India
Now you must be wondering if India too has a system like it or not? India also has developed its air defence systems over time but geographic size, the strategic location of the country and many other factors play a pivotal role in deciding what kind of defences we need to develop.
Due to the consistent and inevitable threat of our “beloved” next-door neighbours Pakistan and China, India always has to keep such missile defence systems to keep civilians safe from unwanted hostile missiles. The first and foremost of these systems is the Prithvi Anti-ballistic air defence system popularly known as PAD, with an operational range of 30–200 km and interception altitude of 80 km. The second one is the Advance Air Defence (AAD) system which is again an anti-ballistic missile system with an operational range of 150–200 km and an operating altitude of 30 km. The Russian made S-125 Pechora is one of the oldest India have.
Then comes the DRDO’s Akash Air defence system and Israel’s SPYDER by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the same company which made the Iron Dome. In 2016 during the BRICS Summit, India made a massive $5.43 billion deal with Russia for the 5 units of S-400 whose first unit is scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2021 after which India will have the world’s one of the most advanced air defence systems.
