CONFLICT
Israel's multilayered air-defence system
October 3, 2024 - When Iran fired a barrage of 180 ballistic missiles toward Israel on Oct 1, Israel’s air defence systems, with some help from the U.S., largely staved off the attack.
Related Graphics
View More
Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire begins after year of conflict
Netanyahu “open” to Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal
Israeli PM Netanyahu joins other ICC fugitives
Israel’s Netanyahu dismisses his defence minister
Israel ends agreement with main aid provider in Gaza
U.S. Army’s Humvee successor unveiled
Who is Hezbollah’s new leader Naim Qassem?
Israel votes to ban UN Palestinian refugee agency
IDF strike cripples Iran’s missile production, disables air defences
Blasts across Lebanon as Israel targets Hezbollah banks
Hamas and Hezbollah leaders killed by Israel since Oct 7
U.S. tells Israel to improve Gaza aid or risk military support
UN defies Israel’s call to withdraw from southern Lebanon
U.S. to send anti-missile system to Israel after Iranian attack
Hezbollah drone attack kills four Israeli soldiers
Nearly one million civilians displaced in Lebanon, UN says
Israel’s military expands invasion into south-west Lebanon
Israeli troop reinforcements sent to Lebanon
U.S. discussing possible Israeli strikes on Iran oil facilities
Israeli airstrikes target successor to Hezbollah Leader in Beirut
The humanitarian cost of the Israel-Hamas war
U.S. bolstering troop presence in the Middle East
Eight Israeli soldiers killed in fighting with Hezbollah
Iran-Israel military strength compared
Iran fires barrage of missiles at Israel
Israel launches ground invasion of Lebanon
Hezbollah leaders assassinated by Israel
Israeli military says it has killed Hezbollah chief Nasrallah
Nearly 800 people killed in Lebanon as Israel rejects ceasefire
Hezbollah fires ballistic missile at Mossad HQ near Tel Aviv
Israel has several air defence systems, each one designed to intercept incoming missiles at different altitudes and distances.
The outer layer of Israel’s defence system, called Arrow 2 and 3, is specifically designed to defend against long-range ballistic missiles by intercepting them outside the earth’s atmosphere.
Israel’s second layer of defence is known as David’s Sling, and its remit is to shoot down heavier rockets and tactical ballistic missiles, in the range of up to 300km.
The centrepiece of Israel’s air defence is the Iron Dome. Introduced in 2011, it has since intercepted thousands of short-range artillery rockets fired by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups.
The sophisticated, multilayered defences were developed with billions in U.S. funding, and since Hamas’s Oct 7 attack, the Biden administration has proposed billions more in military funding for Israel.