What is the Iron Dome?: Israel's air defence system explained after it shoots down Iranian missiles
1 October 2024, 23:06
Iran has launched nearly 200 missiles into Israel tonight, with the order coming from the country's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
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Iran claims 80% of missiles hit their targets, but the Israeli Defence Forces said they are "not aware" of any injuries after employing its famous Iron Dome defence system to shoot down missiles.
What is the Iron Dome?
The Iron dome is Israel's highly prized air defence system that is used when the country faces aerial attacks.
The system, which was developed by Israel's state-owned Rafael Advanced Defence Systems with US support, uses radars to detect and intercept rockets, missiles and drones.
It is made up of a series of mobile units placed throughout the country and when their radars detect a threat, the information is sent to a "battle management centre".
Here, military personnel analyse the threat's path and impact point to make a decision on which missile launcher to use to intercept it.
Counter missiles are then fired directly at the threat - or near it - so the shrapnel can neutralise it.
The dome, which is manned 24 hours a day, reacts within a matter of seconds and was designed to protect against missiles with a range of 2.5 to 43 miles, though it is thought to have been expanded.
It has blocked more than 90% of rockets fired towards Israel, which is why the number of Israeli deaths in the ongoing conflict has remained low, while those in Gaza continue to increase.
Iran's attack on 13 April saw 170 drones, 120 ballistic missiles and 30 cruise missiles used, "99%" of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome, according to Israel Defence Forces data.
Read more: Six people killed and seven wounded in terror attack in Israel, authorities say
Following Tuesday's attack, it is thought the Middle East could be on the verge of a ballistic missile war. But what is a ballistic missile and were they used in Tuesday's strike?
What is a ballistic missile?
A ballistic missile is a rocket-powered missile that can move across more than 5,500 kilometres of area if fired at "intercontental range".
The rockets can also be fired at medium-range (1,000–3,000 kilometres), intermediate-range (3,000–5,500 kilometres).
They are often used to carry out strategic long-range attacks, shot at a high arc trajectory towards their target, but are unpowered and unguided during their descent.
According to the Missile Defence Advocacy Alliance, a short range ballistic missile could create an explosive damage radius of up to 1.06km, and see more than 77,000 casualties in an urban centre.
Were ballistic missiles used on by Iran on Tuesday
Patrick Senft, a research coordinator at the intelligence consultancy firm Armament Research Services (ARES), has told the BBC that fragments suggested that ballistic missiles had been used in the attack.
He said ballistic missiles “make up the majority of the Iranian long-range strike capabilities".
Dr Thomas Karako, the director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is also confident that ballistic missiles were used.
His colleague, Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at CSIS says that the difference between today’s attack compared with Iran's attack in April is that “more missiles seem to be hitting Israel”.
He adds that ballistic missiles are harder to intercept by missile defence systems “because of their higher speed”.
A new type of hypersonic missile was used by Iran for the first time in its attack against Israel this evening, according to the country's revolutionary guard.
The IRGC said its "Fattah" missile, created and manufactured by Tehran and unveiled only last year, was part of the barrage that rained down on Israeli cities.
The name of the missile translates to "conqueror" or "bringer of victory" in Arabic.
