Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome vs KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1
Full specs: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome and KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1 are both air defense system, compared here on public specifications. The Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome leads on engagement range (70 vs 20 km). Several Russia-origin figures here are manufacturer or state claims with limited independent verification, so treat this comparison as directional.
Verdict
These are built for different jobs at different price points, so a direct number-for-number comparison needs care. Iron Dome is a pure missile interceptor, its Tamir round runs roughly $40,000 to $50,000 in standard production (spiking to $60,000 to $150,000 under wartime surge demand), and its real innovation is economic: a selectivity algorithm that only fires at rockets actually headed toward people or infrastructure, letting it engage a 70km envelope efficiently against massed rocket and mortar fire. Pantsir-S1 is a hybrid gun-missile system, the 57E6 interceptor paired with twin 2A38M 30mm autocannons on one vehicle, and its roughly $15 million figure is the cost of an entire system, not a single round, so it is not directly comparable to Iron Dome's per-interceptor price. Iron Dome has a well-documented record, thousands of intercepts since 2011 with a claimed roughly 90 percent success rate. Pantsir-S1 has also seen extensive combat in Syria, Libya and Ukraine, but open-source reporting has documented a number of Pantsir losses and intercept failures, particularly against small drones and cruise missiles, fueling debate over whether its short 20km engagement range and radar performance hold up against the low-signature threats increasingly common on modern battlefields.
Analysis by Cole Merrick, Defense-systems data columnist, WeaponSpecs · Last updated 2026-08-06
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Full data
Full spec sheet
| Performance | ||
| Max speed (Mach) (Mach) | 2.2 Mach | 3 Mach ✓ |
| Engagement range (km) | 70 km ✓ | 20 km |
| Engagement altitude (m) | 10,000 m | 15,000 m ✓ |
| Simultaneous targets | 15 ✓ | 4 |
| Firepower | ||
| Warhead (kg) | 11 kg | 20 kg ✓ |
| Sensors & avionics | ||
| Radar range (km) | 100 km ✓ | 36 km |
| Program | ||
| Unit cost (USD) | $50,000 ✓ | $15,000,000 |
| Operator countries | 4 | 8 ✓ |
Analysis
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome vs KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1: how they match up
Design philosophy: pure missile vs gun-missile hybrid
Iron Dome is a dedicated missile interceptor system, the Tamir round using active radar and electro-optical guidance against rockets, artillery shells, mortars and short-range drones. Pantsir-S1 combines the 57E6 interceptor missile with twin 2A38M 30mm autocannons on the same vehicle, using the missile for longer-range engagements and the guns for very-close-in or lower-cost targets, a point-defense concept meant to protect specific high-value assets, including other Russian air-defense batteries, rather than broad population centers.
Engagement envelope
Iron Dome's 70km engagement range and 10,000m altitude ceiling, plus 15 simultaneous targets, are built around volume: intercepting massed rocket salvos efficiently and cheaply. Pantsir-S1's 20km range and 4 simultaneous targets are far more limited by comparison, though its 15,000m altitude ceiling exceeds Iron Dome's, reflecting its role as a shorter-range but higher-reaching point-defense layer rather than a wide-area shield.
Cost: comparing the wrong units
Iron Dome's widely cited cost, roughly $40,000 to $50,000 per Tamir interceptor in standard production, is a per-round figure; Israel's 2024 Block VI order priced individual interceptors at about $39,000 to $46,000, while wartime surge production has reportedly spiked as high as $60,000 to $150,000 per round. Pantsir-S1's approximate $15 million figure, drawn from a 2000 UAE export contract for 50 units at roughly $734 million including R&D, is the cost of an entire vehicle, radar, missiles and guns together, not a single expendable round. Comparing the two numbers directly would be misleading; they describe different things.
Combat record
Iron Dome has flown thousands of interceptions since 2011 with a claimed roughly 90 percent success rate against rockets fired at Israeli population centers, most recently tested at scale during the 2026 Iran war's mass rocket and drone salvos. Pantsir-S1 has been used extensively by Russian and allied forces in Syria, Libya and the war in Ukraine, but independent open-source trackers have documented a number of Pantsir losses and failed intercepts, particularly against small first-person-view drones and cruise missiles, a pattern that has drawn sustained criticism of the system's radar and reaction-time performance against modern low-signature threats.
Frequently asked questions
Is Iron Dome or Pantsir-S1 more effective? +
They are built for different roles. Iron Dome has a well-documented high intercept rate against massed rocket fire; Pantsir-S1, despite extensive combat use, has a more mixed record, with open-source trackers documenting a number of losses and failed intercepts against drones.
Is Pantsir-S1 really 300 times more expensive than Iron Dome? +
No, that comparison is misleading. Iron Dome's roughly $40,000 to $50,000 figure prices a single expendable Tamir interceptor; Pantsir-S1's roughly $15 million figure prices an entire vehicle with its radar, missiles and guns, a different unit of comparison entirely.
Why does Pantsir-S1 have both a gun and missiles? +
It is a hybrid point-defense design, missiles for longer-range engagements and twin 30mm autocannons for closer, cheaper, or last-ditch targets, meant to protect specific high-value assets rather than provide the wide-area coverage Iron Dome offers.
Has Pantsir-S1 failed to stop drones in combat? +
Independent open-source trackers have documented a number of Pantsir losses and intercept failures in recent conflicts, particularly against small first-person-view drones and cruise missiles, raising questions about its effectiveness against modern low-signature threats.
Which has the longer engagement range? +
The Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome has the longest engagement range at 70 km.
Which is cheaper? +
The Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome has the lower public unit-cost figure at 50,000 USD. Treat this as directional, defense pricing varies by contract and configuration.
Which has the higher max speed (mach)? +
The KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1 has the higher max speed (mach) at 3 Mach.
Which has the higher simultaneous targets? +
The Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome has the higher simultaneous targets at 15.
Which has the higher warhead? +
The KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1 has the higher warhead at 20 kg.
Which has the higher engagement altitude? +
The KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1 has the higher engagement altitude at 15,000 m.
Is the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome better than the KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1? +
On the public specs we track, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome and KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1 are closely matched, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome leads on engagement range, simultaneous targets, unit cost, while KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1 leads on max speed (mach), warhead, engagement altitude. See the full spec sheet for the metric-by-metric breakdown.
Where does this comparison data come from? +
Every figure in the table is sourced from public manufacturer pages, defense-ministry releases and reference publications, and is verifiable on each system's spec page. WeaponSpecs does not accept vendor placement.
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