Israeli defense forces' missile defense systems as of today
Iron beam - the system is designed to destroy short-range rockets, artillery, and mortars too small for the Iron Dome system to intercept effectively. In addition, the system could also intercept unmanned aerial vehicles.
Iron dome - The system is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to 70 kilometres (43 mi) away and whose trajectory would take them to a populated area. Israel hopes to increase the range of Iron Dome's interceptions, from the current maximum of 70 kilometres (43 mi) to 250 kilometres (160 mi) and make it more versatile so that it could intercept rockets coming from two directions simultaneously.
David Sling (Also known as stunner and magic wand) - designed to intercept medium- to long-range rockets and cruise missiles, fired at ranges from 40 km (24.85 miles) to 300 km (186.41 miles). David's Sling is meant to replace the MIM-23 Hawk and MIM-104 Patriot in the Israeli arsenal. It is designed to intercept the newest generation of tactical ballistic missiles, such as Iskander, using an on-board dual CCD/IIR seekers to distinguish between decoys and the actual warhead of the missile.
Patriot - The Patriot is an American surface-to-air missile system designed to intercept aircraft and mid-to-long range missiles. It is manufactured by the Raytheon Company, a U.S. defense contractor. In recent years, Israel has carried out various modifications to the Patriot system in order to enhance its effectiveness. The Patriot operates in conjunction with other anti-missile systems, including the Iron Dome, Magic Wand and Arrow systems, to counter the various aerial threats that Israel faces.
Barak 1(older version ) & barak 8 - Barak 8 has been designed to counter a wide variety of air-borne threats, such as; anti-ship missiles, aircraft, UAVs drones and supersonic missiles When coupled with a modern air-defence system and multi-function surveillance track and guidance radars, (such as the EL/M-2248 MF-STAR AESA on board the Kolkata-class destroyers) Barak 8 enables the capability to simultaneously engage multiple targets during saturation attacks.
Israel Aerospace Industries describe Barak 8 as "an advanced, long-range missile defense and air defense system" with its main features being:
- Long Range
- Two way data link (GPS S band)
- Active Radar Seeker Missile
- 360 degree coverage
- Vertical Launch
- Multiple Simultaneous Engagements
Barak 8 has been described as giving potential use as a point defence anti-ballistic missile due to its combination of advanced capabilities.
Arrow 1 – not in use
Arrow 2 - The system is designed to work quickly and efficiently. As soon as Green Pine detects an incoming missile, the fire control center, called “Citron Tree,” launches its interceptor missile. The 23-foot long interceptor shoots toward the threat at nine times the speed of sound, and reaches a height of 30 miles in less than three minutes. Once it gets within two seconds of its target, Arrow’s optical detectors aims for the incoming missile’s warhead.
The interceptor’s own explosive warhead detonates within 40 to 50 yards of the missile, allowing Arrow to miss its target and still neutralize the threat. In this manner, Arrow differs from U.S. interceptors like the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) and the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), which rely on hit-to-kill technology in which the kinetic force of a precise impact causes the destruction of the threat.
Arrow 3 - Arrow 3 should be able to intercept ballistic missiles, especially those carrying weapons of mass destruction, at altitudes of over 100 km (62 mi), and in greater ranges. It could also be ship-based. Arrow 3 is faster than the Arrow 2 and slightly smaller, weighing nearly half.
An Arrow 3 battery is expected to intercept salvos of more than five ballistic missiles within 30 seconds. Arrow 3 can be launched into an area of space before it is known where the target missile is going. When the target and its course are identified, the Arrow interceptor is redirected using its thrust-vectoring nozzle to close the gap and conduct a "body-to-body" interception.
