The US media commented: Israel and the United States have paid off their 20-year investment in air defense

Israel's success in intercepting a massive Iranian drone and missile strike underscores the success of military cooperation between Washington and Jerusalem.

Article by Seth J. Franzmann of April 15, 2024

On the evening of April 13, Israelis learned that Iran had launched nearly 300 drones and missiles ready to strike Israel within hours. It was around 11 p.m., and for millions of people, the wait was long. The drone will arrive by two a.m. on April 14. The unprecedented attack targeted southern and central Israel, with some projectiles also shot down and flying towards northern Israel.

I was still awake when the showdown over Israel began. Dozens of drones were shot down by the troops of the United States, Great Britain, France, Jordan and other countries on their way to Israel. Israel can only use Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 anti-aircraft missiles against about 100 ballistic missile threats, as well as a large number of drones. According to the IDF, 99% of threats are intercepted. "Out of hundreds of launches, only a few missiles entered the territory of the State of Israel, causing only minor damage to infrastructure near the runway at the Nevatim airbase and a road in the Hermon area", the IDF said. "The functioning of the Nevatim airbase was not affected, and the aircraft continued to take off and perform defensive and offensive missions, even at night and during the day", the IDF said.

Decades of investment and cooperation between Israel and the United States in the field of air defense have made this unprecedented air defense success possible. Israel's Arrow air defense system was developed jointly with the United States. After the first Gulf War, the Iraqi Scud missile launched by Saddam Hussein posed a threat, and decades of Israeli and U.S. investment in air defense were boosted. Since then, the missile threat and the drone threat have grown exponentially. For example, Iran has invested heavily in kamikaze drones such as the Shahed 136 and exported them to Russia for use against Ukraine.

Israel has seen a significant increase in the rocket and missile threat from terrorist groups such as Hamas and Allah. In the past, Hamas's rockets could only fly a few miles, terrorizing Israeli border communities, and over the past decade, Hamas has been able to threaten much of Israel with rockets. Hamas fired thousands of rockets at Israel in the first hours of its war on October 7, 2023. Currently, it has fired 9,200 rockets into Israel, while Iranian-backed Allah has fired more than 3,100 projectiles into Israel since last October. Over the past two decades, Israel has invested heavily in various air defense systems. For example, the Lebanese war in 2006 prompted Israel to rapidly develop the "Iron Dome" system. The Iron Dome system was developed by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. Rafael has also developed a medium-range air defense system called the Spear of David with the support of the United States. This system has been widely used in recent wars.

The IDF noted that the Arrow-3 is the highest level of the Israeli air defense system and is "jointly developed and produced by the Israeli Defense Department of Defense Israel Missile Defense and the US Missile Defense Agency." Israel Aerospace Industries manufactures this system. "It is one of the most advanced air and missile defense systems of its kind in the world for intercepting ballistic missiles in the outer atmosphere," the IDF said. By April 13, it had achieved about seven operational successes in this war. Both Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 have been used to stop threats from Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen".

Then, on the night of April 13-14, there was the unprecedented test. After the success, the Israeli missile defense group noted that "congratulations to the IDF for intercepting a number of threats launched from Iran last night." This unparalleled performance is due to the multi-layered defense system developed by the Israeli defense industry". The radar and intelligence-gathering systems of the Israeli Missile Defense Organization also played a crucial role in the successful interception of numerous missiles and drones that night. The Green Pine radar used by Green Arrow is manufactured by Elta, a subsidiary of the Israel Missile Defense Organization. The Sword of David and Iron Dome air defense systems also use the Elta radar. Amir Perez, former Israeli defense minister and current chairman of the board of directors of the Israel Missile Defense Organization, said after the attack: "I am proud and grateful for the men and women of the Israel Missile Defense Organization who are partners in the successful defense of the State of Israel today."

Successfully intercepting so many drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles seems like an unprecedented feat in warfare. Russia has fired countless drones and missiles at Ukraine, but Iran's shelling appears to be unique and certainly unique to the Middle East. The challenges are also more complex than in Ukraine, as drones and missiles fly over multiple countries. For example, Jordan shot down a drone that flew over its airspace. The projectile also flew over Iraq. Iran also said it was targeting Israel from four directions, including from the skies over the Red Sea in Yemen, Syria and Iraq, and Lebanon.

In addition, the US Navy destroyers USS Arleigh Burke and USS Carney shot down between four and six ballistic missiles in the eastern Mediterranean. At the same time, the Patriot missile unit of the Army deployed in Erbil, Iraq, shot down a ballistic missile that flew from Iran to Israel", reports Stars and Stripes. Stretching thousands of miles from the Eastern Mediterranean to Yemen to Iran, it involves more than sixty countries in the region and is supported by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.

Iran's attack on Israel threatens to further aggravate the situation in the region. Iran claimed the attack was in retaliation for an April 1 Israeli airstrike on Damascus, which hit a building adjacent to the Iranian consulate and killed three senior IRGC commanders. The Iranian attack illustrates the importance of the investments that Israel and the United States have invested in air defense systems over the past three decades. Israel's multi-layered integrated air defense system is one of the most advanced in the world, and given Israel's small size and many external threats, Israel's airspace is probably the most heavily defended in the world. The interception operations over the Middle East also illustrate the importance of close cooperation between the United States and Israel and regional partners such as Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and others, which have taken a more integrated approach to air defense and general security.