Shield Dome, advanced maritime version of Iron Dome Defence System, tests successfully
The IDF and Israel’s defence industries have successfully completed a complex series of experiments with the “Shield Dome,” defence system, the Ministry of Defence announced Monday.
The Shield Dome in action. (IMoD)
The Shield Dome is a naval configuration based on an advanced version of the “Iron Dome” system, which was first deployed on the Israeli Navy Ship Magen (shield), a Saar 6 class ship.
The Israeli Navy, the Ministry of Defense’s Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure, together with Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries, have successfully completed a series of interception experiments with the Shield Dome, system, which contended with a variety of advanced threats.
The experiments examined a number of scenarios that simulate existing and future threats that the system may face during a conflict, including rockets, cruise missiles, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV).
“The success of the experiment is an important milestone in the operational ability to protect the strategic assets and vital interests of the State of Israel, against existing and future threats expected in the arena,” the Ministry of Defense stated.
One of the primary missions of the maritime version of the Iron Dome is to defend Israel’s offshore gas rigs, which have been threatened by the Hezbollah terror organization from Lebanon and the Gaza-based terror groups.
The Shield Dome,’s capabilities are “a significant tier in the self-defense and spatial defense capability of the defense ships and constitutes a significant leap forward for both the existing capabilities in the defense of the State of Israel’s assets and economic interests and the State of Israel’s maritime superiority in the arena,” the statement said.
The Shield Dome is based on the Iron Dome system and is integrated into the national air defence system. Israel over the years has developed a multi-layered defence system to contend with the ever-evolving ballistic projectile threat from Iran, the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon, including David’s Sling, designed to intercept mid-to-long-range ballistic missiles with ranges between 25-190 miles, and the Iron Dome defence system, which intercepts short-range targets and drones. The Arrow system is meant to intercept long-range missiles. The Arrow 3 provides outer-atmospheric interception of ballistic missiles, supplementing the Arrow 2 defensive system.
Minister of Defense Benny Gantz stated that “the technology that we are developing in the multi-layered defense system of the State of Israel allows us vital freedom of action vis-à-vis Iranian proxies in the region and the means at their disposal, which are evolving. We continue to be two steps ahead of them and we will continue to act and upgrade our capabilities in defense and attack, in order to maintain Israel’s security superiority in the region, the citizens of Israel and the Israeli economy.”
