A senior advisor to the director of the Air and Missile Defense Cross-Functional Team of Army Futures Command, Terry Young has confirmed that the U.S. is currently negotiating with Israel for a contract to purchase two batteries of the Iron Dome system.
“Right now, we’re thinking ‘Iron Dome’ offers the best solution for an initial capability for IFPC,” Young said. Iron Dome is an air defense system used by Israel effectively in over 1,900 combat engagements, he said. Further testing and experimentation with the Iron Dome System and its components will take place and help inform the Army’s enduring solution for IFPC, he said.
According to Army News Service, Young was part of a team that went to Israel earlier this year to get briefed and observe the Iron Dome and its capabilities in action. The team included the AMD CFT director, the Air Defense Artillery School commandant and elements from Program Executive Office Missiles and Space.
Iron Dome system will be tested to see if the system can bridge the gap between the MSHORAD and the Patriot in order to protect high-value, fixed and semi-fixed assets, Young said.
Iron Dome is a mobile all-weather air defense system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries. Rafael’s website said their air defense systems is the world’s most deployed missile defense system, with more than 2,000 interceptions and a success rate greater than 90%.
The system can protect deployed and maneuvering forces, as well as the Forward Operating Base (FOB) and urban areas, against a wide range of indirect and aerial threats.
The multi-mission system effectively counters rockets, mortars and artillery shells, as well as aircraft, helicopters and UAVs at very short range.