Technological advancements in modern warfare have made for more improved defense and military tactics. Take for example Israel's Iron Dome, a missile defense system that can determine an incoming attack and eliminate it even before it causes damage.
This Iron Dome is the same defense system that has eliminated over 90% of Palestinian rockets that were fired into Israel beginning last week, saving not only Israeli lives, but Palestinian lives as well.
In the past 10 days, over 3,000 rockets have been fired into Israel during the Palestinian air strikes, which sent millions of Israelis seeking shelter from the bomb threats. Israel did have a weapon to defend itself from such attacks, however, as it used what they call the Iron Dome to intercept the incoming missiles and eliminate it midair. The result is the tackling of these missiles even before they hit the ground.
Last week, images of the Iron Dome went viral as it lit up the night sky in Israel in defense of the country.
Unbeknownst to many, the Iron Dome has long been in operation.
Behind the Iron Dome
Retired General Doron Gavish, one of the men responsible for the engineering of the Iron Dome defense system, recently came out of civilian life during the Israel-Palestine conflict. He spoke to CBN News (via Faithwire) to discuss the history of the Iron Dome and what it meant for Israeli defense.
"Ten years ago, it was only the beginning. You know, we kind of had to invent the wheel," Ret. Gen. Gavish said of the Iron Dome. "There is no other place in the world where something like this is going on."
Developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, the Iron Dome was initially deployed in 2011. The defense system, which is described as the "bullet hitting another bullet," received support and funding from the U.S. According to CBS News, several Iron Dome "batteries" make up the entire defense system, with each battery equipped with a radar, command-and-control center and missile launchers that fire Tamir interceptor missiles, which are responsible for eliminating threats midair. There are about 10 Iron Dome batteries deployed throughout Israel today, each of which are equipped to defend up to 60 square miles of land.
In 2014, U.S. aerospace and defence conglomerate Raytheon became the U.S. defense contractor that produces up to 70% of the components of the Iron Dome's interceptors. They said that each battery has three launchers that can fire up to 20 Tamir missiles each.
Ret. Gen. Gavish believes that the Iron Dome has not only protected Israel from attacks, but has also protected both Israeli and Palestinian lives. Many believe that without the Iron Dome defense system, the Israel Defense Forces will have had to engage in a ground attack, which would cause much more casualties.
The retired general concluded, "By the end of the day, we could look in the mirror and say we did something for the defense of Israel. We did something for the civilians and we are saving life and this is what the air defense is doing."
