Israel vs Iran: How Israel’s Iron Dome and Arrow Saved the Country from Iran’s Ballistic Missiles

Iran launched a massive attack on Israel on Monday, firing over 200 ballistic missiles and putting Tel Aviv’s defence systems to the test. This attack has highlighted the country’s ability to protect itself from a variety of missiles, including those that can fly above the atmosphere and low-flying cruise missiles and rockets. The defence systems in place are truly impressive, and it’s remarkable to see how they can handle such a wide range of threats.

Israel multi-layered missile defence:

Israel’s multi-layered missile defence strategy is one of the most advanced in the world, designed to protect the nation from a wide range of airborne threats. While the Iron Dome is the most well-known, primarily for intercepting short-range rockets, Israel’s defence capabilities are significantly bolstered by two other cutting-edge systems: David’s Sling and the Arrow missile defence system.

Iron Dome: The First Line of Defence

The Iron Dome is an effective, combat-proven system designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells. Operational since 2011, it has demonstrated a high success rate in neutralizing incoming projectiles from as close as 4 kilometers to about 70 kilometers.

David’s Sling: The Middle Layer

David’s Sling, also known as Magic Wand, fills the gap between Iron Dome and the longer-range Arrow system. Developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defence Systems and the U.S. defence company Raytheon, David’s Sling is designed to intercept medium- to long-range missiles, including cruise missiles, guided rockets, and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles).

David’s Sling’s interceptor, known as Stunner, is highly maneuverable and capable of engaging incoming missiles at high altitudes and speeds.

Arrow: The High-Altitude, Long-Range Defender

The Arrow missile defence system, developed jointly by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Boeing, is Israel’s most advanced defence against high-altitude, long-range ballistic missiles. The Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 systems provide a two-tiered defence.

Arrow-2 is designed to intercept ballistic missiles within the atmosphere.

Arrow-3 is capable of intercepting missiles outside the Earth’s atmosphere, during the exo-atmospheric phase of their flight, allowing for earlier neutralization of threats.

Iran Missile Defence

Emad, Ghadr, and Fattah-2 hypersonic missile

Emad and Ghadr missiles were used earlier this year with a planned velocity moving at over 4,600 miles per hour at impact. These missiles will take roughly 12 minutes to reach their targets from Iran. Nonetheless, Iran has said to have fired the even more superior Fattah-2 hypersonic missile with a speed that it has been estimated to reach 10,000 mph.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that during Operation Honest Promise 2, 80-90% of the missiles launched successfully hit their intended targets. This operation was reportedly conducted as part of Iran’s military retaliation, often directed towards adversaries in the region, such as Israel or U.S.-backed forces.