Israel has completed an air defense exercise that tested the capabilities of the Iron Dome missile defense system to stop sea missiles for the first time, the Ministry of Defense announced Tuesday.
The defense center ran a test of the four Israeli air defense systems against a number of threats from land and sea, including sea missiles and ballistic missiles. Defense officials assessed that Iranian-backed militias could try to fire naval missiles into southern Israel.
David Sling’s missile defense system in use during multi-layered IDF air density drill
(Photo: Ministry of Defense)
“The success of this series of tests is an important milestone for Israel’s defense capabilities against existing and future threats in the region,” a statement read read.
In the drill, the first of its kind, the various defense systems were needed to communicate with each other and stop several types of targets, including rockets, unmanned aircraft and missiles at the same time. .
Defense Minister Benny Gantz (R) will visit the IDF missile defense drill
(Photo: Ministry of Defense)
Along with Israeli defense officials, representatives from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and Israeli defense industries took part in the drill.
The system, manufactured by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, has completed more than 2,400 operational interactions in Israel since 2011 and was handed over to the Americans after a series of tests. The U.S. military purchased the battery to deal with the threat from unmanned missiles and unmanned aircraft.