What is Israel's Iron Dome defence system used against Iran's drone and missile ... trends now
Israel faced a fierce bombardment of over 300 drones and ballistic missiles over Saturday night, in the latest challenge to the country's '90 per cent effective' rocket-intercepting Iron Dome.
All but a few were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the UK and the United States, officials said.
The powerful short-range defence system was used to shoot down the incoming barrage of drones, cruise missiles and rockets fired from Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen, and has also been working in full-force to handle attacks throughout the six-month war against Hamas.
The Iron Dome works to detect incoming rockets, before determining its path and intercepting them, and has blasted thousands of airborne weapons since it first went into operation in 2011.
The three-part, multi-billion pound air defence system, developed by Israel with US backing after the 2006 Lebanon War, has been crucial in defending Israeli cities for over a decade and is credited with preventing serious damage or casualties.
MailOnline has looked into the impressive system and how it works.
Israel's Iron Dome uses a sophisticated radar to detect incoming airborne objects such as a drones, rockets, and missiles
Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip in January 2024
Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in central Israel, in November 2023
What is the Iron Dome?
The Iron Dome is an all-weather mobile system in Israel that is made up of at least 10 missile-defence batteries strategically distributed around the country.
The device is made up of three main sections: a radar detection system, a computer to calculate the incoming rocket's trajectory, and a launcher that fires interceptors if the rocket is deemed likely to hit a built-up or strategic area.
It uses a sophisticated radar to detect incoming airborne objects such as a drones, rockets, and missiles, it sends the information back to a command-and-control centre.
Here, the threat is tracked to assess whether it is a false alarm and the potential destination of the flying object.
Each truck-towed unit then fires radar-guided missiles to blow up short-range threats like rockets, mortars and drones in mid-air.
The system fires the interceptors - just 6 inches wide and 10 feet long- at the incoming threats that seem most likely to hit an inhabited area.
Each Iron Dome battery consists of three to four launchers that can each carry up to 20 Tamir interceptor missiles.
The batteries can neutralise threats launched from up to 43 miles away, while at the same time ignoring projectiles that are projected to strike unpopulated areas.
In late 2012 Israel said that it hoped to increase the range of Iron Dome's interceptions, from a maximum of 43 to 155 miles away and make it more versatile so that it could intercept rockets coming from two directions simultaneously.
A view shows drones or missiles vying for targets at undisclosed locations in northern Israel
The 10 Iron Domes placed throughout the country are able to defend up to nearly 60 square miles of land - protecting countless civilians and critical infrastructure.
The system was developed by state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries and was upgraded in 2012, but the details of the changes were not made public.
The United States backed the initial project with a $200,000 grant in 2006.
The Iron Dome is just one of Israel's three-tiered missile defence system along with the The Arrow, and David's Sling.
The Arrow system developed with the US is designed to intercept long-range missiles, including the types of ballistic missiles Iran said it launched on Saturday.
The Arrow, which operates outside the atmosphere, has been used in the current war to intercept long-range missiles launched by Houthi militants in Yemen.
David's Sling, also developed with the US, is
