Context
Amid the recent Israel-Palestine conflict rockets fired from Gaza being intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome air defence system, which appeared like the rockets were hitting an invisible shield.
What is the Iron Dome?
- Defence System: It is a short-range, ground-to-air, air defence system.
- It is used to counter rockets, artillery & mortars (C-RAM) as well as aircraft, helicopters and the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
- Components: It has a radar and Tamir interceptor missiles which track and neutralize any rockets or missiles which is aimed at Israeli targets.
- Genesis of Iron Dome: It goes back to the 2006 Israeli-Lebanon war, when the Hezbollah fired thousands of rockets into Israel.
- It was developed by Rafael Advance Systems with Israel Aerospace Industries.
- The Iron Dome was deployed in the year 2011.
Working and Effectiveness
- Main systems: It has three main systems which work together to provide a shield over the area of its deployment. It has:
- a detection and tracking radar to spot any incoming threats
- a battle management and weapon control system (BMC)
- a missile firing unit
- Under the BMC, when a weapon is launched, the tracking radar help the weapon reach there. After that the weapon’s own head will take over.
- Under the missile firing unit, when the missile is fired, it be able to manoeuvre should be able to see the small target on her own and thereafter go and shoot.
Defence systems of India
- India is in the process of buying S-400 air defence systems from Russia.
- It caters to the three threats (rockets, missiles and cruise missiles).
- S400 has to cater in 300 to 400 km range.
- India has Akash short-range surface-to-air missiles, and Russian systems including Pechora.
- India is buying National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System-II from the US.
- Barak-8 is also one of the protection.
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