can someone tell me in layman's english how exactly does israel's "iron dome" work?

[greencobra]

yeah, never been in the military so these defense systems on this scale are a mystery to me. this iron dome system seems to work rather well. what's it about? my civilian mind thinks it just tosses out a large number of defensive missiles at once based on radar picking up an incoming air strike. simply put, like a giant shotgun. do they use it on aircraft targets also, or just missiles? here's the self depreciating disclaimer...i'm an idiot on this stuff.

 

[Picton]

yeah, never been in the military so these defense systems on this scale are a mystery to me. this iron dome system seems to work rather well. what's it about? my civilian mind thinks it just tosses out a large number of defensive missiles at once based on radar picking up an incoming air strike. simply put, like a giant shotgun. do they use it on aircraft targets also, or just missiles? here's the self depreciating disclaimer...i'm an idiot on this stuff.

Radar and SAMs.

Israel has highly accurate firefinder radar they've been developing for decades, aided by technology sharing we did after we figured out the Patriot. That radar picks up incoming projectiles, a computer plots their course and speed, an intercept solution is sent to the nearest Israeli missile battery, and that battery launches a SAM to take down the incoming missile. They might not rely on just one missile per target, but it's not "tossing out a large number" either. The SAMs are very maneuverable, very fast, and have very accurate guidance systems.

The actual shootdown is done the same way antiaircraft has been done for decades: an explosion near the target, with shrapnel doing the job of downing the missile.

 

[TJ4]

I was just watching a video on it the other day. It seems like a good rundown of how it works


View: https://youtu.be/KpJ_g90xRuM?si=heOj_KV1vKcrJDBg

 

[cockpitbob]

It stopped 99% of the target's. How does it work? Pretty damned well

 

[Dennis in MA]

Shouldn't it be the Iron Yarmulka?

 

[greencobra]

thanks, a basic understanding is a good thing...i have it now. gracias!

 

[zmd]

@greencobra Great question! I had no idea on how this worked as well. It’s pretty impressive

 

[GaryO]

I read that Iron Beam was now online. It makes sense, with such an impressive knockout rate.

 

[Penniepup1]

I’ll explain, since I was an expert when I was 10…..
Atari Missle Command:

This would be probably your answer, if you asked a Biden DoD official.

 

[fishgutzy]

Shorter version: Shooting a bullet at a bullet.

 

[Soundwave]

Here's a little video on their tank trophy system which is pretty cool. It seems harder to intercept RPGs on the fly than things flying for hours.


View: https://youtu.be/s7JyP1h3nxw?si=eCkOAj5aw8ZxRaC3

 

[Buck F]

A picture is worth a thousand words:

 

[whatluck]

Your tax dollars at work

 

[Lokdog]

Radar and SAMs.

Israel has highly accurate firefinder radar they've been developing for decades, aided by technology sharing we did after we figured out the Patriot. That radar picks up incoming projectiles, a computer plots their course and speed, an intercept solution is sent to the nearest Israeli missile battery, and that battery launches a SAM to take down the incoming missile. They might not rely on just one missile per target, but it's not "tossing out a large number" either. The SAMs are very maneuverable, very fast, and have very accurate guidance systems.

The actual shootdown is done the same way antiaircraft has been done for decades: an explosion near the target, with shrapnel doing the job of downing the missile.

They said that's when the Taliban started becoming more dangerous to us in the Middle East when they learned the secret of blowing up the projectile "near" the target in the air instead of trying to hit it directly and then missing 99% of the time.

 

[graphite]

Shouldn't it be the Iron Yarmulka?

Wrong head.

Think birth control -
IRON conDOME

 

[EMTDAD]

I’ll explain, since I was an expert when I was 10…..
Atari Missle Command:
View attachment 873323
This would be probably your answer, if you asked a Biden DoD official.

so true.. that's EXACTLY how it works... minus the human element..

can you imagine.. 20 yrs ago some Gen-X Israeli says, "I got an idea.. ever play Missile Command? well.. lets do that for real"

 

[GaryO]

They said that's when the Taliban started becoming more dangerous to us in the Middle East when they learned the secret of blowing up the projectile "near" the target in the air instead of trying to hit it directly and then missing 99% of the time.

Modern day proximity fuse.

 

[ThePreBanMan]

It's amazing at how good we have gotten at interception.

Something once thought impossible just a couple decades ago.

 

[Drix]

Probably helpful that (as I understand it) many of these were on ballistic courses. I

 

[hunt4riches]

I’ll explain, since I was an expert when I was 10…..
Atari Missle Command:
View attachment 873323
This would be probably your answer, if you asked a Biden DoD official.

I used to whoop some azz at this game... no wonder the Iranians were always trying to kidnap me when I was little.

 

[Bmcl322]

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Impenetrable !

 

[StevieP]

I thought some of the benefit to (ours, anyway) cruise missile systems is that they fly very, very low to the ground, which makes them darned near impossible to pick up by enemy RADAR. Wouldn't you think the Iranians would do the same? Or were they literally just lobbing in missiles?

 

[Picton]

They said that's when the Taliban started becoming more dangerous to us in the Middle East when they learned the secret of blowing up the projectile "near" the target in the air instead of trying to hit it directly and then missing 99% of the time.

I wouldn't call that a "secret;" countries have been doing that since WWII.

The issue is inventing a proximity fuze that'll reliably produce a decent kill radius, then getting the projectile to "almost" hit the target. Those are pretty complicated challenges if the target is small.

The alternative is something like CIWS, which just blankets an area with thousands of rounds... almost all of which overshoot or overpenetrate.

 

[Broc]

yeah, never been in the military so these defense systems on this scale are a mystery to me. this iron dome system seems to work rather well. what's it about? my civilian mind thinks it just tosses out a large number of defensive missiles at once based on radar picking up an incoming air strike. simply put, like a giant shotgun. do they use it on aircraft targets also, or just missiles? here's the self depreciating disclaimer...i'm an idiot on this stuff.

Missiles fly towards Israel.
Israel shoots them down.

 

[FalArAk]

yeah, never been in the military so these defense systems on this scale are a mystery to me. this iron dome system seems to work rather well. what's it about? my civilian mind thinks it just tosses out a large number of defensive missiles at once based on radar picking up an incoming air strike. simply put, like a giant shotgun. do they use it on aircraft targets also, or just missiles? here's the self depreciating disclaimer...i'm an idiot on this stuff.

Ill tell you how it doesn't work, without US taxpayer dollars.

 

[Picton]

Ill tell you how it doesn't work, without US taxpayer dollars.

Iron Dome is fairly home-grown. But it's kinda-sorta a product-improved Patriot, and we've been selling those to Israel since... oh, the Gulf War? A little after?

 

[FalArAk]

Iron Dome is fairly home-grown. But it's kinda-sorta a product-improved Patriot, and we've been selling those to Israel since... oh, the Gulf War? A little after?

We have been selling them arms with the money we give them So like net cost to Israel is somewhere around zero with a GDP that is really close to ours lol

Also, according to our politicians and MSM, without our hard earned tax dollars Israel would cease to exist.

Just figured this was part of it.

 

[Picton]

We have been selling them arms with the money we give them

Also, according to our politicians and MSM, without our hard earned tax dollars Israel would cease to exist.

Just figured this was part of it.

Hate to say it, but that's all part of the game. And it's FAR from just Israel.

But if you have to have a MIC, and it seems we do, then it's probably a good idea to keep it fed and watered, I guess. It's not like we'd just pull the plug on arms production and use that money for something cool like making motorcycles or something.

 

[jkelly1229]

So what they do is have rotating watch of nes stud clubbers with 6.5 cms and 40's and we get a mild challenge from shooting them down

 

[jkelly1229]

Hate to say it, but that's all part of the game. And it's FAR from just Israel.

But if you have to have a MIC, and it seems we do, then it's probably a good idea to keep it fed and watered, I guess. It's not like we'd just pull the plug on arms production and use that money for something cool like making motorcycles or something.

Something far more serious.... like cat endurance studies