Tel Aviv: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., with the Israeli Navy, and the Israel Ministry of Defense IMDO completed an advanced interception test of the C-DOME Naval Iron Dome System. The C-DOME is an advanced naval configuration of Rafael’s IRON DOME aerial defence system and is operated from the Missile Ship (INS) ‘Oz’ from the Sa’ar 6 ‘Magen’ Class Corvette.
As part of the interception test, the system was installed on the INS ‘Oz’ corvette, the second of four advanced missile corvettes received by the Israeli Navy in the last two years. Operationalizing the system constitutes a significant milestone in enhancing the capabilities of the corvettes.
Executive Vice President Dr Ran Gozali, Head of the Land and Naval Systems Directorate, RAFAEL said, “The C-DOME is the first operational naval defence solution of its kind and the test on the Sa’ar 6 corvette of the Israeli Navy serves as a monumental achievement in the development of the system. We are proud to see the C-DOME being operated by the Israeli Navy and its protection of Israel’s strategic assets.”
Head of the Israel Ministry of Defense IMDO, Moshe Patel commented, “The C-DOME system expertly identified threats and successfully intercepted them by launching IRON DOME interceptors towards them from the sea. C-DOME, the naval configuration of the IRON DOME, promotes further operational flexibility and has become a part of the State of Israel’s multi-tiered missile and air defence array. The IRON DOME interception system completed a tremendously successful series of tests this past year, both in Israel and in the United States, as part of the interception tests conducted by the Marine Corps and the United States Army. The IRON DOME has met our operational objectives, including during Operation Breaking Dawn earlier this year.”
Deputy Commander in Chief & Chief of Staff, Rear Admiral Guy Goldfarb said, “The Israeli Navy is at the height of the advanced operationalization of the Sa’ar 6 corvettes, currently taking place at record speed. The successful interception tests are a result of the C-DOME system’s implementation onboard the INS ‘Oz’ corvette. We recently acknowledged the initial operationalization of the INS ‘Magen’ corvette, the first to join the Sa’ar 6 series and complete its first operational activity – the patrol of the State of Israel’s Exclusive Economic Zone and the protection of our economic and strategic assets. The maritime arena has changed, thus leading to wider responsibilities and more extensive operational tasks for the Israeli Navy. The Sa’ar 6 corvettes will be a central means of protecting the Exclusive Economic Zone and ensuring the State of Israel’s maritime superiority.”
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
