Israel-Hamas War Revives Interest in U.S. Production of Iron Dome Missiles
Israel’s war with Hamas has revived dormant U.S. interest in producing munitions for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, U.S. Army and industry officials said, a development that would help a U.S.
regional ally resupply for future conflicts. Any U.S. manufacturer of Tamir interceptors would take months to get moving.
But with Hamas and Hezbollah firing hundreds of rockets at Israeli military sites and cities every day, Israel’s stockpile of interceptor missiles is dwindling. The new interest in production of Tamir interceptor missiles for the Iron Dome system comes two years after the Army passed over the Israeli hardware in favor of a U.S.-made system it deemed better suited for conflict in the Pacific. Israel’s Iron Dome missile-defense system is one of the most battle-tested in the world, successfully destroying thousands of shells and rockets since its 2011 deployment and preventing mass civilian casualties.
“Iron Dome has proven itself over the years," said Tom Karako, a missile defense researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “It’s no slight that it can’t contend with an overwhelming number of threats." To help out, the U.S. Army is now sending back to Israel two Iron Dome units it acquired three years ago, alongside more than 200 Tamir missiles the U.S.
had stored in its arsenal. The two units had been deployed after being tested in Guam. The mobile Iron Dome is Israel’s last layer of air defense and can intercept targets up to 40 miles away.
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