IRON DOME

 IRON DOME is a military-based Anti-missile system is deployed in Israel. it was manufactured by Rafael Advanced Defence system (RADS) by the financing of the US and was put into service in 2011. It initialized to develop in response to the war fought between Israel with Lebanon militant's Hezbollah movement 2006 that caused the massive disaster, mass evacuation, hundreds of deaths.

A multi-mission system and all-whether system of defence have been capable of intercept rockets, Artillery, mortars, aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) as well as precision-guided munitions. with the advantage of deployment in land and sea having minimum to maximum ranges 4km to 70km respectively and altitude of 10km. 

One of the most important features the system posses to identify the exact point of impact of threatening rockets and to calculate, whether it will fall on built-up, commercial areas, crowded areas or not, and to decide itself based on whether or not to focus on shoot-down by intercepting it. this sharp sort of feature of technology in the system prevents the waste of usage and unnecessity. As a single missile costs, 40 to 50 thousand dollars and reports state its successive rate is 90% overall.

WORKING PRINCIPLE AND FUNCTIONING OF IRON DOME.

An IRON DOME consists of a battle management control unit. The system has three central components including detection & tracking radar was built by Elta, battle management & Weapon control and missile firing unit. 

If the enemy intends to target the place to attack with rockets. As rockets are being projected with trajectories of particular angles and distances. next, A Radar from the system of the iron dome starts to detect and track the opponent rockets then the Control system estimates the impact point of projectile rockets finally, An iron dome launches the interceptor missile that proximity fuse to detonate the targeted warhead in the Air.

A single battery is capable of launching 3-4 launchers with the effect of 20 missiles per launcher. A decade since the iron dome become operational, Israel now has 10 batteries deployed across the country. According to its manufacturer, the Iron dome can be operated day and night, under adverse weather conditions and simultaneously react to detonate the multiple threatening attacks.

LIMITATIONS

IRON DOME A system which none other than Israel owned. like another defence system is not leak-proof. no doubt the system has responded and performed well so far. the system seems to be exposed when it is overwhelmed with the barrage of projectiles. it can be Assumed that crowded salvo in form of exceeded rockets could succeed in breaching defences and cause damage or short-ranged target rockets could damage the system As system's inability to cop missile less the 5-7 kilometres. 

limitations as overwhelming the iron dome. Taking a North Korean military response to opponents is that conventional artillery of North Korea would be able of firing 500,000 shells per hour for several hours. this rate of fire would surely overwhelm the variant of the iron dome. this seems like a current proposed solution.  

written by Abdul Wasui Shaikh

An Undergraduate Student of Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan

Source: Dawn newspaper, BBC, World times and internet.