Iranian rockets test limits of Israel's missile defence shield

On Tuesday evening, Iran launched a barrage of rockets toward Israel, claiming it was retaliation for the deaths of Hezbollah leaders backed by Tehran. Israel's Army Chief, Herzi Halevi, credited the country's "very strong air defence" for mitigating the attack, highlighting the effectiveness of Israel's multi-layered defence shield in the face of growing regional tensions.

On Tuesday evening, Iran launched multiple rockets toward Israel, explaining it was a reaction to the killing of Hezbollah leaders backed by Tehran. The barrage of rockets activated Israel's sophisticated missile defence system, which includes the Iron Dome, David's Sling, and Arrow systems. Israel's Army Chief, Herzi Halevi, later acknowledged that the Iranian barrage was partially weakened by "very strong air defence." How does it work?

For years, Israel has faced numerous external threats, particularly rocket attacks from neighbouring countries, including Lebanon and Iran. In response to these challenges, the country has built one of the world's most advanced air defence systems. Israel's missile defence shield is a multi-layered system designed to protect the country's territory from various aerial threats—from short-range missiles to long-range ballistic missiles.

Despite its high level of sophistication, the system cannot provide 100 percent protection against incoming rockets and missiles. This situation arises when many rockets and missiles are launched towards Israel simultaneously. Engaging a large number of targets exceeds the capabilities of most existing air defence systems, including Israel's missile defence shield, and involves immense costs. It's also important to remember that each layer has a specific task to perform.

The lowest layer of Israel's missile defence shield is formed by the Iron Dome, a SHORAD (Short-Range Air Defence) system, and its naval equivalent, C-Dome. Below these are only VSHORAD (Very Short-Range Air Defence) point-defence systems. Above the Iron Dome is the layer formed by the system known as David's Sling, regarded as equivalent to the American Patriot system. The last two layers of the shield consist of the Homa (Wall) system with Arrow 2 (Chetz-2) and Arrow 3 (Chetz-3) missiles. These solutions are somewhat similar to the American THAAD system.

Iron Dome is the most recognizable element of Israel's missile defence shield. This system was developed to defend against short-range rockets (intercepting them within a range of up to 70 kilometres), such as those fired from the Gaza Strip or Lebanon by organizations like Hamas or Hezbollah. Iron Dome has been operational since 2011 and has repeatedly proven its effectiveness. Interestingly, the system was developed in a record short time, with work starting in 2006.

The operation of Iron Dome relies on EL/M-2084 radars that detect incoming rockets and interceptor missile batteries capable of destroying the threat in the air before it falls on populated areas. The system calculates the rocket's flight trajectory, and the control and command centre selects specific targets. Significantly, they are destroyed while still in the air, and the system can assess whether a missile is heading toward a populated area.

If it is not, Iron Dome does not initiate interception, which significantly lowers the system's operational costs. This is especially true since, according to calculations by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, the cost of a single interceptor missile, i.e., the Tamir missiles, ranges from $40,000 to $50,000. These missiles weigh about 90 kilograms and are 3 metres long. They destroy designated targets using a fragmentation warhead activated by a proximity fuse—the moment Tamir is next to the hostile rocket.

The next layer of Israel's air defence is David’s Sling, designed to neutralize more advanced threats such as cruise missiles, medium-range rockets, and certain types of aircraft. This system came into use in 2017. It operates similarly to Iron Dome but is more technologically advanced. It can track and intercept missiles with complex flight trajectories at much greater altitudes and ranges. Its role is to fill the gap between the Iron Dome system and heavier solutions that protect against long-range ballistic missiles.

In the case of David's Sling, the effector is the two-stage Stunner missile. Due to the nature of the targets they are designed to destroy, they are slightly larger and heavier than the Tamir missiles. They also have a greater range and move much faster. Their price is also higher. For a single missile, it amounts to about one million dollars. The 5-metre Stunner allows for neutralizing targets within a range of 70 to 250 kilometres. This missile intercepts targets at Mach 7.5, about 9,000 km/h (for comparison, Tamir does so at a speed of Mach 2.2, which is about 2,400 km/h) and destroys them using hit-to-kill technology that enables direct hits.

The highest layer of Israel's missile defence shield is constituted by the Arrow system, designed to neutralize long-range ballistic missiles that can be launched from significant distances, e.g., from Iranian territory. It is one of Israel's most important defence technologies developed in cooperation with the United States (similar to Iron Dome and David's Sling). The Arrow system consists of several versions, including Arrow 2 and Arrow 3, each with different tasks.

The interception range for Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 is approximately 1,000 kilometres and 2,000 kilometres, respectively. The Arrow 2 system intercepts ballistic missiles at medium altitudes, while Arrow 3 is intended to destroy missiles before they re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. In practice, this means that Arrow 3 can neutralize threats far beyond Israel's borders, providing more time for reaction and effective action. Israelis claim that Arrow 3 also allows for the destruction of satellites in low Earth orbit. Additionally, it's worth noting that work is currently underway on the Arrow 4 system, which will have significantly greater capabilities and range.

Israel is also working on another futuristic protection layer based on laser technology. These systems aim to neutralize rockets and drones at significantly lower operational costs than traditional interceptor missiles. As we reported earlier, at the end of 2023, the Israeli Defence Forces decided to accelerate the Iron Beam laser air defence system deployment. This solution, developed by the Israeli defence company Rafael, uses a 100 kW laser beam to destroy a wide range of targets. Its creators believe that Iron Beam can eliminate threats from several hundred metres to even 7 kilometres away by illuminating them with a 100-kilowatt laser beam for about four seconds.