The US Marine Corps said that the final test included the system’s successful interception of multiple targets in various trajectories.
By Gil Tanenbaum, TPS
The US Marine Corps has completed the final of three air defense system interception tests that took place this year.
The tests used technology from the Israeli-developed Iron Dome anti-missile defense system.
Israel and the US have been cooperating for some time now on the development of missile defense capabilities.
Famously, during the Gulf War in Iraq in 1991, the IDF used the American-made Patriot missile batteries to try and shot down Iraqi Scud missiles that were launched against Israel.
However, the IDF made upgrades to the Patriots before using them. Today, the technology seems to be going in the other direction, and it’s the US military developing upgrades for Israel-made anti-missile missiles.
The Marine Corps said that the final test included the system’s successful interception of multiple targets in various trajectories.
Additionally, the Iron Dome’s continuous launch capability was tested using a mobile launcher developed by the US Marine Corps that it incorporated into the Israel-based tech.
The series of live-fire tests were conducted at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico and were part of the Marines Corps’ development of their Medium-Rage Intercept Capability (MRIC) prototype.
The Marine Corps stated that the successful test proved the performance of the mobile launcher developed for the Marine Corps as well as the Iron Dome interceptor’s performance, particularly regarding relevant and challenging interception scenarios.
“The three tests that took place this year proved that the performance of the MRIC system with Iron Dome interceptors is good and provides a dedicated launcher solution for the Marines,” said Don Kelly, program manager for Joint Ground Based Air Defense Headquarters (GBAD) at PEO Land Systems, following the successful test.
Head of the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) in the Ministry of Defense, Mr. Moshe Patel said, “This current test, which completes a series of three, is further proof that the Iron Dome Tamir Interceptor and associated ground components can be integrated quickly and efficiently in any relevant defense architecture and intercept various aerial threats successfully in complex and advanced scenarios. We welcome any cooperation in the field of defense with the branches of the US military.”
Executive Vice President and Head of the Air and Missile Defense Directorate at Rafael Advanced Defense Systems – the company that developed the Iron Dome tech – Brigadier General (Ret.) Pini Yungman said, “Once again, Rafael’s systems have proven that they are able to integrate into existing systems and create synergy between systems, providing optimal performance. Rafael’s advanced systems are developed with an ‘open architecture’ allowing seamless integration with other systems. In the latest test conducted by the Marines, a successful combination of the TAMIR interceptor launched from a new launcher developed under the leadership of the Marines, combined with the Marines’ radar system and the battle management system, which are systems developed by American industries, was demonstrated.”
The Tamir Interceptor is a proven missile capable of intercepting Cruise Missiles, Unmanned Aerial Systems, Rockets, Artillery, and Mortar threats. The Interceptor was developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, contracted for the engineering and adaptation of Iron Dome to USMC requirements and associated testing support.
The IMDO in the Directorate of Defense Research and Development leads the development of the State of Israel’s multi-tiered missile and air defense array, based on four operational defense layers: Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow 2, and Arrow 3.