Israel has conducted successful live-fire tests of the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems C-Dome, a sea-going version of the Iron Dome missile defense system, aboard the Sa’ar 6 corvette Israeli Naval Ship (INS) Magen against multiple threats.
First deployed in 2011, Iron Dome has earned something of a reputation as it has racked up a 90-percent success rate in intercepting rocket attacks in hostilities between Israel and a number of hostile groups. Able to operate as individual batteries or in coordination with one another or separate radar units, the system can not only intercept incoming threats, but can also calculate missile trajectories and ignore those that will land harmlessly in rivers and empty fields.
In 2014, Rafael showed off the concept for its C-Dome variant designed to protect individual ships and naval groups from missile attacks. The sea-going version consists of a 10-round canister loaded with vertically-launched Tamir interceptors that can offer 360-degree coverage instead of the more restricted arc of the land version.
In addition, unlike Iron Dome, C-Dome doesn't need a dedicated radar system to work. Instead, it interfaces with the ship's surveillance radar. For the recent sea tests, the C-Dome was linked to Magen's Adir radar, which is a multifunction active electronically scanned array naval radar system.
According to Rafael, the tests included defending the corvette against a combination of rockets, cruise missiles, and UAVs.
"Today we mark another historic milestone for the Iron Dome defense system – the completion of a series of successful offshore tests of the missile defense system onboard a naval vessel," said Director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization, Moshe Patel. "The advanced detection system accurately identified various threats including rocket fire, cruise missiles and UAVs. The system successfully intercepted the threats with surgical precision. The success of today’s tests further strengthens our confidence in our missile defense systems as well as the ability of the Israeli Navy to defend the maritime assets of the State of Israel."
The video below shows C-Dome in action.
Source: Rafael