The Ministry of Defense's Homa Administration today announced the successful completion of tests of the Iron Dome short-range ballistic missile interception system, following upgrades to improve its performance. The ministry said that, following the successful tests, that the final upgrade gives the Iron Dome greater interception capabilities against an unprecedented range of threats.
The Homa Administration is responsible for Israel's multilayer ballistic missile defense network, which will be based on the Iron Dome, the Magic Wand (against medium range missiles), and the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 (against long-range missiles).
The Iron Dome's upgrade was carried out together with the system's primary contractor, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. and Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) (TASE: ARSP.B1) subsidiary Elta Systems Ltd., which produces Iron Dome's radar system, and mPrest Systems Ltd., which produces the command and control system.
The Ministry of Defense said that the latest series of tests of the Iron Dome was carried out on schedule as part of the preplanned upgrade of the interception system.
The Israel Air Force currently has five Iron Dome batteries in operation. The fifth battery was delivered during Operation Pillar of Defense, in November 2012, when rockets were fired from Gaza against greater Tel Aviv.
Shortly before Operation Pillar of Defense, the Ministry of Defense announced that it would upgrade the Iron Dome, and its improved performance was demonstrated during the fighting. Iron Dome batteries intercepted hundreds of incoming rockets and missiles targeting city centers in southern and central Israel. The latest upgrade reportedly improves the Iron Dome's ability to defend wider areas and improves its interception capability against a range of incoming missiles.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 21, 2013
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