Iron Dome System Test Successful

The short range Iron Dome missile defense system has successfully passed a series of tests.  The new missile defense system shot down qassam rockets, grad rockets, and mortar shells over the last several days.

The Israeli military says that based on the tests, the system is ready to go and will likely be deployed in May.  The test, which used the only prototype in existence (developed by Israeli defense company Rafael), is expected to successfully stop rockets with a range between 4km and 70km.  This effectively stops the majority of Hamas and Hezbollah attack methods.

This, coupled with the US developed Arrow missile defense designed to intercept long range missiles, such as those from Iran, completes two of the three phases of Israel’s multi-tiered defense system.  Defense officials say this is a great development, but warn that Israelis are not completely safe. [Ha'aretz]

Nevertheless, protection of Israel’s home front remains far from complete. First, Iron Dome has yet to be tested in a genuine attack. Second, Israel still lacks any additional missile batteries beyond the prototype just tested. Third, the intermediate layer of Israel’s missile defense system – Magic Wand, which is supposed to handle missiles with longer ranges than those covered by Iron Dome but shorter than the long-range ballistic missiles covered by the Arrow – has yet to reach a similarly advanced stage of development, and is not expected to do so until 2012.

So, in 2012 Israel might be able to have a “peace” from enemy attacks, though it would not mean that the enemy is still not trying.