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Israel Rafael Advanced Defense Systems
Iron Dome
An Israeli short-range, all-weather air-defense system designed to intercept rockets, artillery shells, mortars and short-range UAVs. It has intercepted thousands of threats in combat, primarily protecting Israeli population centers.
In service since 2011 · 4 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
70
km range
10,000
m altitude
15
targets
100
km radar
💲 ≈ $50,000 — Approximate cost per Tamir interceptor, widely-cited public estimate
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Israeli export-licensed
Israeli MoD (DECA/SIBAT) licensing; active export programme.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Established · 4 operators
In service since 2011. Status: active.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$125K – $175K
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~25 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Overview
Iron Dome is the world's most combat-proven short-range air-defense system, built by Rafael to solve a very specific problem: cheap rockets fired in volume at populated areas. Each battery pairs an EL/M-2084 radar with launchers of 20 Tamir interceptors, and its fire-control computes — within seconds — whether an incoming rocket will hit anything that matters. Threats headed for empty ground are deliberately ignored; only those tracking toward people or infrastructure are engaged. That selectivity is the economic core of the system.
Since 2011 Iron Dome has flown thousands of interceptions with a claimed success rate around 90 percent, and its Tamir interceptor (roughly $50,000 per shot in commonly cited figures) remains far cheaper than any comparable Western point-defense missile.
The 2026 Iran war subjected the system to its hardest test yet: mass salvos of rockets and drones fired alongside ballistic missiles designed to saturate the lower defense layer while Arrow and David's Sling fought the upper tiers. Its performance under true saturation attack is now the central case study in every debate about cost-exchange in air defense.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed (Mach)
Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.
- 2.2 Mach Stronger than 15% of air-defense systems
- Engagement range
Maximum distance at which an air-defense system can intercept targets. Higher covers more airspace.
- 70 km Stronger than 54% of air-defense systems
- Engagement altitude
Maximum target altitude the system can reach.
- 10,000 m Stronger than 25% of air-defense systems
- Simultaneous targets
Number of targets the system can engage at once. Higher resists saturation attacks.
- 15 Stronger than 79% of air-defense systems
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- Tamir interceptor missile
- Warhead
Warhead mass. Heavier generally means larger effect radius, at the cost of range.
- 11 kg Stronger than 13% of air-defense systems
- Warhead type
Blast-fragmentation, shaped charge (HEAT), penetrator, thermobaric or nuclear-capable.
- Fragmentation
- Guidance
How the weapon finds its target: inertial, GPS/GLONASS, active/semi-active radar, infrared, laser, TV, wire.
- Active radar homing, Electro-optical
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- ELM-2084 multi-mission radar
- Radar range
Published detection range against a typical fighter-sized target. Higher sees first.
- 100 km Stronger than 31% of air-defense systems
- Datalink
Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement.
- Battle management and weapon control network
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $50,000 Top 4% of air-defense systems
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 4 Stronger than 63% of air-defense systems
Specifications compiled from public Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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What is the engagement range of the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome? +
The Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome has a maximum engagement range of 70 km.
What is the main armament of the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome? +
The Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome's primary weapon is the Tamir interceptor missile.
What is the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome used for? +
The Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome is a air defense system typically used for air defense.
How many countries operate the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome? +
The Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome is operated by 4 countries.
How much does the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome cost? +
The Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Dome has an approximate unit cost of 50,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
