Tel Aviv: The Israeli navy’s SAAR 6 missile corvettes are very active in protecting the Israeli gas pumping rigs off the Israeli shores. A few days ago one of these war ships again intercepted an armed drone that threatened one of these rigs.
The Iranian made armed drone launched by the Hezbollah from Lebanon was intercepted by the C-Dome – the maritime version of the Iron Dome.
The tension in the area has reached a new peak after the most senior military commander of the Hezbollah terror group was killed by Israel Defence Forces strikes on a building in southern Beirut on Tuesday, July 29 night. Israel said that the commander was behind the deadly missile attack on Majdal Shams on Saturday, July 27 in which 12 children were killed.
As the Hezbollah in Lebanon continues to launch rockets and armed UAV to hit military bases and cities in Israel, a special effort is being made to better protect the country’s gas pumping rigs in the Mediterranean, that are a potential target for the terror organisation.
In recent weeks, the Hezbollah terror organisation has again tried to attack Israel’s offshore gas pumping rigs.
One of the systems that is deployed for this mission is the Rafael C-Dome interceptor. It has been deployed on the SAAR -6 corvettes.
The C-Dome Naval defence system is based on the Iron Dome and designed to effectively protect combat vessels against a large set of modern threats. C-Dome handles saturation attacks by engaging multiple targets simultaneously.
According to Rafael, the reaction time is very short and enables automatic and semi-automatic engagements.
C-Dome components include a multi-round launcher assembly loaded with vertically-launched canistered interceptors. The launcher is installed under the ship’s deck. C-Dome utilises the ship’s own surveillance radar and does not require a dedicated Fire Control Radar.
Weapon System Command and Control is seamlessly integrated with the ship’s combat management system, facilitating system operation.
Rafael emphasises that C-Dome uses the combat-proven Iron Dome interceptor that has already achieved more than 3000 successful intercepts.
As per Rafael, the Interceptors are maintenance-free, and are stored in a sea-proof canister. Up to 8 interceptors can be loaded into a modular Vertical Launcher Unit. The C-Dome interceptor is extremely agile and with a high rate-of-turn, enabling intercepting of even the most maneuverable targets.
The C-Dome system is equipped with an active radar and that ensure a high kill rate like the one achieved by the Iron Dome.
The C-Dome is an addition to the Barak – 8 air defence systems that is also deployed on the SAAR -6.
The Barak-8 is made by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). According to company, the Barak 8 provides the ultimate protection against a variety of aerial platforms and munitions including aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aircraft and sea-skimming missiles. It is based on a sophisticated missile (developed in collaboration with Rafael), state-of-the-art phased array multi-mission radar, two-way data link, and flexible command and control system.
The system’s radar manufactured by ELTA Systems, an IAI group company and subsidiary, is a multi-mission radar, supporting air defence missions. It delivers an accurate, high quality, real-time arena situation picture and extracts low Radar Cross Section (RCS) targets even in the toughest environmental conditions. It is a digital Active Electronic Steering Array (AESA) Radar System which incorporates new and advanced technologies.
Barak 8 can operate day and night, in all weather conditions, and successfully deals with simultaneous threats engagements, even in severe saturation scenarios.
The system has a very short reaction time and a fast missile vertical launch capability with 360 degree coverage. The system optimises the coordination between the missile and batteries by using an advanced broadband communication network. The missile deals with short, medium, and long range threats, where its interconnectivity among the various ships in the naval task force enables it to be a multi-layer air and missile defence System of Systems.
A typical ship installation includes 4 vertical launchers each carrying 8 missiles.
The Barak-8 has an effective range of 70 km. IAI has developed an extended range version. This one has an add-on booster that gives the missile a 150 km range.
-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
