Iron Dome

The Iron Dome system was developed by an Israeli defense contractor building, in part,  on engineering and software advances from the U.S. Star Wars system.

[While the technology for linking radar to detect and track intercontinental missiles and the interceptor rockets that are meant to blast off and destroy the incoming warhead in outer space has yet to work as hoped (every test so far has loosely defined “success” using the horseshoe and dancing principle: close counts) knocking down slow moving short range rockets is easier. ]

The Iron Dome equipment is a major advance over the Patriot missile system that the U.S. developed in the late 1980s and first deployed against Iraqi Scud missiles in the 1990 Gulf War.  By some accounts Iron Dome can destroy between 80 and 90% of its targets. 

This has created an interesting “good news/bad news” situation.  The good news is that most of the rockets aimed southern Israeli towns and the handful of longer range rockets fired at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv can be shot down.  The bad news is 1) that is scant comfort to the citizens of those towns when the 10-20% that make it through blow up down the street; and 2) it weakens the perception of balance and proportionality between the harm done by Gaza launched rockets and the scope and severity of the Israeli response.