Israel’s missile defense system is highly sophisticated, demonstrating state-of-the-art rocket science and breathtaking ingenuity. But one can argue that the missile defense system has become so effective that it rendered the Hamas rocket threat a mere nuisance. That may have led to a certain nonchalance.
The well-known Iron Dome is the world’s best system for intercepting short-range rockets, artillery shells and mortars.
In 2006, Hezbollah fired 4,500 rockets into Israel during a six-week war, killing 55 people and wounding hundreds. Since becoming operational in 2011, Iron Dome has intercepted more than 6,000 rockets with a success rate approaching 95 percent.
Iron Dome is but one part of a Multi-Layer Missile Defense System that protects Israel. It is the lowest layer in the system, intercepting threats with ranges of up to some 50 miles. We learned about this tiered system firsthand in February 2023 during a congressional tour to Israel led by USIEA. In fact, it was USIEA’s very first congressional tour to Israel back in 2011 that resulted directly in the declassification of the Iron Dome and, consequently, U.S. support for installations across Israel.
The second layer, David’s Sling, intercepts rockets with a greater range. The third layer is covered by Arrow-2, which intercepts targets at the edge of the atmosphere, and Arrow-3, which intercepts rockets in outer space.
David’s Sling (DS) first became operational in 2016. However, it didn’t see its first operational intercepts until May of this year, when it intercepted rockets launched from Gaza toward Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Iron Dome’s Tamir interceptor has a range of less than 10 miles, meaning that its batteries must be located very near the population centers it is tasked to protect. On the other hand, the DS interceptor (Stunner) has a significantly greater range.
In Israel, there is only one DS battery, but owing to the superior range of the system, this battery can provide defense to more than two-thirds of the country.
In the past week, DS has simply shone.
Early on Oct. 7, the day of the terrorist invasion, Hamas fired thousands of rockets. DS provided air defense along with Iron Dome, saving countless lives. On Friday, Oct. 13, DS successfully intercepted a Hamas rocket over Haifa, more than 120 miles from the launch site.
DS uses a different paradigm than Iron Dome’s Tamir interceptors, which each carry a warhead and intercept targets by detonating the warhead very near the target. On the other hand, the DS Stunner carries no warhead. Instead, it destroys its target by impacting the target’s warhead at high speed. This capability is called “Hit-to-Kill” (HTK) and makes Stunner light and fast.
Consider the following illustration of Stunner’s remarkable capability. The M-302 Khaibar-1 rocket (a typical Hamas rocket targeted by DS) is about three feet long and less than one foot in diameter. It carries a warhead weighing 330 pounds and moves at the speed of about a mile per second. Stunner must hit the rocket directly in the warhead; a miss of more than six inches is a failure. And Stunner rarely fails.
Israeli engineering is a true marvel, but what if its efficacy rendered the Hamas rocket threat less perilous? What if Israelis have become over-confident in their high-tech defense systems, be it Iron Dome, David’s Sling, or the security barrier around Gaza? What if over-confidence enticed them to let the threat grow, choosing to live with — instead of eliminating — it?
The Oct. 7 massacre has been a wake-up call. Israelis can no longer expect a missile defense system, however sophisticated, to protect all its citizens from the depredations of Hamas.
Hamas members are not freedom fighters. They are not militants. Like ISIS, they are radical Islamist terrorists with no regard for human life: not Israeli, not American, not even their own.
The world must be made to understand that Hamas — and Hamas alone — is responsible for every single casualty in the Gaza Strip. The death and destruction they instigated on Oct. 7 will only continue, unless and until Hamas is defeated. Israel’s victory must be decisive. Anything less would be catastrophic.
Israelis have shown remarkable resilience, remaining optimistic and ending conversations with the phrase Besorot Tovot, which literally means “Good Things” but can also be translated as “Looking forward to hearing good things.” After 2,000 years of exile, persecution and pogroms, Jews have finally returned to their ancient homeland. The U.S. cannot let terrorists stand in their way.
Juan Vargas who serves on the Committee on Financial Services and Randy Weber who serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Science Space and Technology Committee participated on a USIEA bipartisan Congressional tour to Israel in February where they were briefed about Israel’s multi-layer defense structure.