The US Army has informed the Israel Ministry of Defense of its decision to buy anti-missile batteries Iron Dome (“Iron Dome” or “Kipat Barzel”, in Hebrew), for the immediate use for its armed forces.
The Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Benjamin Netanyahu, said that it is “a great achievement for Israel, and another expression of the strengthening of our alliance with the United States. It is an expression of Israel’s growing status in the world. Israel has the Iron Dome and an iron fist.
The US Army press release states that the anti-missile system that Israel has been using since 2011 “has shown effectiveness in combat” and will be deployed to protect US soldiers abroad.
The Iron Dome anti-missile battery “will be tested as a defense system for US military forces deployed against a wide range of ballistic and air threats, and will be tested in the long term as part of a series of possible responses by the US military to aerial threats, “said the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv.
The company Rafael is the main contractor to develop and manufacture the system; Elta, a division and subsidiary of the Israel Aerospace Industry (IAI), is responsible for the development and manufacture of the MMR radar, and mPrest provides the command and control system.