Israel / Gaza: How the Iron Dome, Israel's anti-missile system works
Audio 01:15
Trail of light as Israel's anti-missile system, the Iron Dome, intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip, May 16, 2021. AFP - MAHMUD HAMS
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
It is the eighth day of clashes between the Hebrew state and Hamas.
Israeli bombs crush the Gaza Strip.
Balance sheet, nearly 200 dead.
Ten people were also killed on the Israeli side.
In just over a week, Islamist movements in the Palestinian enclave launched over 3,000 rockets at Israeli towns.
90% of them are intercepted by the Iron Dome.
How does this Israeli anti-missile device work?
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From our special correspondent in Sderot
,
Sami Boukhelifa
The interceptor missile rips through the sky.
In a few seconds, it is several hundred meters above sea level.
It hits its target: a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip.
“
We are 10 meters from the missile launcher.
And now you can see how our missiles neutralize rockets one by one.
One more, and one more and one more,
”said Major Arye Shalicar, spokesman for the IDF.
Deployed in the middle of a field, this single position has three launchers, each equipped with 20 interceptor missiles.
The system is linked to a supercomputer, which precisely calculates the trajectories of enemy rockets.
“
It's a mobile system, which can be deployed across the country in a few hours.
Each anti-aircraft battery protects a specific area.
For example, there is one around Ashkelon, similar to Ashdod.
Of course, I can't tell you the exact number, but right now there are some near Tel Aviv and the airport as well.
Without the Iron Dome, we would have hundreds of deaths on the Israeli side,
”continued Major Arye Shalicar.
But this cutting-edge technology has one weakness: its cost.
At least $ 50,000 per interceptor missile.
►Also listen to Lines of Defense
: The "Iron Dome" in Israel
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