Iron Dome, David's Sling and the Arrow System: How does the Israeli air defense system work?

If it's more famous, Iron Dome is just one of three anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems Israel uses to protect itself and implemented Tuesday evening against a barrage of missiles fired by Iran.

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Tehran launched about 180 missiles, according to Israel, and 200, according to Iran, and many of them were intercepted, according to the Israeli army.

Iron Dome is actually the first level of protection, intended to counter rocket attacks or short-range missiles.

The other two devices, David's Sling and Arrow, were specifically designed to intercept ballistic missiles.

These systems, which come from Israeli and American technologies, benefit from American financial support amounting to billions of dollars.

Below are the characteristics of each of these systems, classified according to their increased interception capabilities:

Iron Dome

Agence France-Presse

Since its operation in 2011, the system has intercepted thousands of rockets launched by the Islamist movements Hezbollah and Hamas, with a success rate of about 90% according to its promoters.

The dome is designed to shoot down rockets or missiles with a range of up to 70 kilometers, and was deployed during the Iranian attacks on April 13 and October 1.

Based on the consequences of the 2006 Lebanon War, the Israeli army deployed a first battery in March 2011 in the Beersheba area, 40 kilometers from Gaza, followed by nine other batteries, all mobile and spread throughout Israeli territory, according to a US Senate report from Year 2006. March 2023.

The battery consists of three launchers, each containing up to 20 interceptor missiles. These missiles are only launched if the battery's radar and computer detection system prove that an enemy missile is likely to hit a built-up or strategic area.

Iron Dome was initially designed and manufactured by the Israelis alone, before the signing of a joint production agreement with the United States in March 2014, which in 2020 resulted in the establishment of a joint venture between the Israeli company Rafael, at the origin of the project. And the American group Raytheon (now RTX).

The United States also acquired several Iron Dome batteries in 2019.

The ropes of David

Evoking the biblical story of David fighting Goliath armed only with his slingshot, this system targets long-range missiles and cruise missiles with a range of 40 to 300 kilometers.

Each launcher can carry up to 12 missiles, which destroy an enemy missile by force of impact alone, says Raphael, who developed the system with Raytheon.

The two David's Sling batteries will be sufficient to cover the entire Israeli territory.

This anti-aircraft system, which has been in operation since April 2017, is, this time from the beginning, the result of joint Israeli-American production, which – as in the case of the Dome – brings together the companies Rafael and Raytheon.

In November, Finland announced the purchase of the David Sling system for 317 million euros.

Arrow system

Mastering technology dating back to the late 1980s resulting from the US Strategic Defense Initiative (known as “Star Wars”) coveted by Ronald Reagan, the Arrow II and III systems were jointly developed by US companies Boeing and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). ). .

Israel successfully tested the Arrow II ballistic missile interception system in August 2020, which can intercept a missile at a distance of 500 kilometers. The Arrow III goes further: it has an estimated range of 2,400 km, and is intended to counter ballistic missiles operating outside the atmosphere (i.e. at an altitude of more than approximately 100 km). Israel successfully tested it in January 2022.

Missiles from the Arrow 2 and 3 systems were “successfully” launched on Tuesday evening to counter the Iranian air attack, according to IAI.

In September 2023, Germany announced the purchase of the Arrow-3 system, a contract valued at $3.5 billion, as part of the European Air Shield (ESSI) project.