After its phenomenal success in defending Israel during the summer, the US has decided to invest in the Iron Dome defense batteries.
Rockets fired at Israel from Gaza. (Photo: IDF)
The US has decided to arm itself with an Israeli made Iron Dome anti-rocket system, Israel Defense reports.
The US was reportedly deeply impressed by the system’s outstanding success in defending Israel’s civilians during Operation Protective Edge against Hamas’s rockets, and is acquiring one battery for the US Army.
The Iron Dome anti-rocket system has been successful in shooting down rockets and preventing Israeli deaths with a 90% success rate, an improvement of the 84% success rate achieved during Operation Pillar of Defense.
The anti-rocket battery will undergo further testing in the US, and if the results are satisfactory, the US will purchase further units.
Israel and the US Working Together
The Americans were initially not supportive of the Iron Dome project and did not believe in its feasibility, but over time they became its staunch supporters. The Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee approved a defense spending bill in July that provides $621.6 million for Israeli missile defense development and production, including $351 million for the Iron Dome system that intercepts short-range rockets and mortars.
Raytheon, a major American defense contractor and the world’s largest producer of guided missiles, has won an Israeli contract in October to supply $149.3 million in Tamir missiles, the projectiles used in Israel’s Iron Dome defense system. This has effectively turned the Iron Dome project in to a joint Israel-US venture.
The US does not have a short-range rocket threat on its soil, but if the tests are successful and the US moves ahead with further purchases, these defensive systems will be deployed around the globe, used to defend American bases and headquarters against local rocket and mortar threats.
Witness the Power of the IDF
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Author: Aryeh Savir
Staff Writer, United with Israel