what is the iron dome

The Iron Dome is an Israeli mobile all-weather air defense system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries. It is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) to 70 kilometers (43 miles) away and whose trajectory would take them to an Israeli populated area. The system has three central components: Detection & Tracking Radar, Battle Management & Weapon Control, and Missile Firing Unit. The Detection & Tracking Radar detects incoming rockets and relays the information to the Battle Management & Weapon Control, which performs fast, complex calculations to detect the trajectory, speed, and expected target of the rocket. If the incoming rocket is directed towards a populated area or a strategic establishment, the launcher automatically fires the Tamir Missile. The Iron Dome has become a mainstay of Israels defense since its introduction in 2011 and has successfully prevented countless rockets from hitting Israeli communities. The manufacturer of the Iron Dome system claims it has a success rate of 90% and has over 2,000 interceptions to its credit.