The Israeli military says the militant group Hamas has fired a total of about 4,000 rockets into Israel, with more than 90 percent of them intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome system, in addition to some landing in Gaza and injuring Palestinians themselves. Six Hamas drones were intercepted by Iron Dome. Outside estimates suggest that the Iron Dome system is so powerful that it will become a highly sought-after item in the arms market.
In the recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Iron Dome interceptor system demonstrated its power in a stunning way.
The Iron Dome system can intercept rockets, mortars, drones, and even medium-range cruise missiles.
Iron Dome also has a selective shoot-down capability; instead of chasing and destroying every rocket, it determines whether a rocket poses a threat to a populous metropolis or infrastructure and then intercepts it. Rockets that fly into the wasteland or ocean are automatically ignored by Iron Dome.
Iron Dome is a joint product developed by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the U.S. Raytheon.
Between 2000 and 2008, Hamas reportedly fired some 4,000 rocket projectiles and 4,000 artillery shells into Israel, putting nearly 1 million Israelis in range. In response to the serious security threat, Israel resolved to develop the Iron Dome system to intercept rockets and artillery shells. Israel completed the entire development and testing process in just four years, and began deploying the Iron Dome system in 2011.
In 2012, Israel claimed that the Iron Dome system had intercepted more than 400 rockets; by 2014, it had intercepted more than 1,200 rockets. Subsequently, the Iron Dome system has been upgraded and improved, with a maximum interception range of 250 kilometers and the ability to intercept missile attacks being requested.
Some have questioned the interception efficiency of the Iron Dome system, which may not reach the claimed 80-90 percent; after all, the actual interception efficiency of Patriot missiles is thought to be no more than 75 percent. But this Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become the best testing ground for the Iron Dome system, and it is recognized that the 90% interception rate should be true, and that the Iron Dome system has also successfully responded to rocket-scale attacks.
The U.S. Army confirmed in 2020 that the U.S. spent $373 million to procure two Iron Dome systems for deployment on U.S. military bases. The U.S. military is already heavily equipped with Patriot missile interceptor systems, so why is the Iron Dome system still needed? Because the cost of a Patriot missile is about $3 million, which is more than four times that of an Iron Dome missile.
The excellent performance of Iron Dome not only makes the U.S. buy, currently, India, Romania, and Azerbaijan have also signed contracts to purchase the Iron Dome system, and India’s procurement contract may reportedly be worth $2 billion. In addition, NATO and South Korea have also expressed their intention to purchase.
Commentator Shen Zhou analysis, now that the Iron Dome system has once again proved its value, it is estimated that more orders will come, making it a sought-after item in the international arms market.
Shen Zhou said that the Chinese Communist Party will probably also jump at the chance to either steal the technology directly, or buy it through a third or fourth country. However, even if the Chinese Communist Party does steal them, they will not be copied on a large scale, and at most a few sets will be deployed near Beijing, because after all, the Chinese Communist Party does not really care about the life and death of civilians or soldiers. The weapons developed by the Chinese Communist Party have always been more focused on how to attack or harm others than on defending or protecting its own citizens.
In addition, several experts have suggested that Taiwan might also consider purchasing them to counter the CCP’s short-range missiles and long-range rockets. Taiwan’s ability to neutralize the CCP’s first wave of strikes would clearly thwart the CCP’s plans to attack Taiwan by force.
Recent Comments