2024 RT Amination Banner.gif

China Daily

Asia Pacific> Asia News> Content
Wednesday, March 17, 2021, 10:22
Israel says anti-rocket Iron Dome system upgraded
By Xinhua
Wednesday, March 17, 2021, 10:22 By Xinhua

A battery of Israel's Iron Dome, designed to intercept and destroy incoming short-range rockets and artillery shells, is pictured in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights near the border with Syria, on Nov 18, 2020. (JALAA MAREY / AFP)

JERUSALEM - Israel said on Tuesday it has upgraded its anti-rocket Iron Dome system to intercept additional kinds of aerial threats.

In the face of emerging and rapidly changing threats, these new capabilities provide the political echelon and defense establishment with the operational flexibility that is critical to our national security.

Benny Gantz, Israel's Defense Minister

The Defense Ministry's Israel Missile Defense Organization and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, an Israeli weapons and defense company, have "successfully completed a test campaign of the Iron Dome Weapon System," the Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement.

ALSO READ: Israel develops advanced long-range missile

"This campaign, along with two recent Iron Dome flight tests, demonstrated a significant upgrade of the system's technological capabilities," the statement read.

The system, tested in several scenarios, intercepted and destroyed the targets simulating a simultaneous attack by multiple drones and a salvo of rockets and missiles, it said.

"In the face of emerging and rapidly changing threats, these new capabilities provide the political echelon and defense establishment with the operational flexibility that is critical to our national security," Defense Minister Benny Gantz said in the statement.

The Iron Dome is designed to intercept short-range rockets. In service since 2011, the Israeli military has been using it mainly to intercept rockets launched from the Gaza Strip.

READ MORE: Israel strikes Hamas sites in Gaza following rocket attack

The system is part of Israel's multi-layer air defense systems, which include David's Sling, a medium- to long-range missile defense system, and the long-range Arrow-3.


Share this story

CHINA DAILY
HONG KONG NEWS
OPEN
Please click in the upper right corner to open it in your browser !