Tel Aviv: The US Army, in conjunction with the Israeli Ministry of Defence’s Israeli Missile Defence Organisation (IMDO) took a critical step toward fielding the first of two Rafael made Iron Dome Defence System-Army (IDDS-A) batteries. IDDS-A will defend supported forces within fixed and semi-fixed locations against sub-sonic Cruise Missiles (CM), Groups 2 & 3 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), and rockets, artillery, and mortar threats.
White Sands Missile Range hosted the missile flight test, demonstrating the capabilities of the Iron Dome Defence System–Army (IDDS-A). US Army soldiers assigned to 3-43 Air Defence Artillery Battalion successfully detected, tracked, and intercepted multiple CM and UAS surrogate targets. The testing prepares the system for US operational forces use by ensuring it meets US Army safety standards and that the system will effectively operate within the US AMD architecture.
Maj. Gen. Brian Gibson, Director AMD CFT: “It’s important to understand that implementation for the US is about the ability to integrate this system into our air defence picture. We need to integrate this into our US architecture, and to give confidence to our regional commanders that we can integrate this system safely into what they have.”
Brigadier General (Res.) Pini Yungman, Executive Vice President and Head of Rafael’s Air & Missile Defence Directorate: “Once again, the Iron Dome has proven its effectiveness and operational capabilities in combat scenarios. As part of the US Army’s operational training, American troops operated the system which functioned with optimal effectiveness against a variety of threats and intercepted targets from different ranges. Rafael is proud to continue proving itself as a world leader in developing the most advanced defence systems, which have proven themselves time after time.”
IMDO Director in the Israeli Ministry of Defence, Moshe Patel: “This is the second interception test since the two batteries were supplied to the US Army at the end of 2020. In this test as well, the system intercepted all the threats, while being interoperable with US systems.”
The Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) in the Directorate of Defense Research and Development leads the development of Israel’s multi-tiered air defense array, based on four operational layers: Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow 2, and Arrow 3.
The US Army plans to field both Iron Dome Defence System-Army (IDDS-A) batteries as an interim cruise missile defense solution, while the US Army continues to acquire an enduring IFPC Inc2 system. Future variants of the IFPC program include technology insertions such as directed energy, which will provide a critical protection capability against sub-sonic Cruise Missiles, Groups 2&3 Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and Rockets, Artillery, and Mortars threats.
-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
