In watching the worldly news today, I was made curious (again), about Israel’s infamous dome of iron. Had always meant, to read more about it, but today I actually carved, the time to do just that.
Rafael is the main contractor for the Iron Dome missile defense system, whose purpose is to destroy short-range ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, rockets, and armed UAV fired from a range of 40km to 70km. The Iron Dome System conducted its first operational interception on July 4, 2011.
The Israeli government established the Science Corps, precursor to Rafael, in 1948 as a research and design lab for the Israel Defense Forces. The Science Corps was reorganized in 1958, at which time it became an autonomous company with the Ministry of Defense (MOD) and took on the name Rafael. Due to its close relationship with the MOD, Rafael has been and remains involved in the research, design, and production of many innovative national defense technologies.
Source: Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI)
The 2006 Lebanon War made clear the need for Israel to develop a more effective air defense system. During that conflict, Hezbollah militants fired more than 100 rockets per day into Israeli territory and the occupied Golan Heights, thoroughly overwhelming Israel’s existing air defenses. Nautilus, an antimissile laser weapon that had been under joint development with the United States, was canceled because of budget overruns and inconsistent performance in combat conditions. In February 2007 the Israeli defense minister Amir Peretz authorized Rafael to begin development of a short-range air defense system on a budget of just $100 million. The project had to overcome strong institutional resistance within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The Israeli military establishment tended to favor offensive weapon platforms, such as tanks and combat aircraft, over purely defensive systems.
Source: Britannica
Many of the IMDO's initatives are carried out in close collaboration with the United States Missile Defense Agency (MDA), and receive joint funding. The great relationship between these two organizations also translates into the cooperation between Israeli and American defense industries, which serve as key contributors to the development and production processes of the defense array.
Iron Dome: Intercepts short-range surface-to-surface rockets (bottom layer)
David's Sling: Intercepts short to medium and medium to long range surfarce-to-surface missiles (middle layer)
Arrow-2: Intercepts medium to long range missiles (upper layer)
Arrow-3: Intercepts long-range missiles (upper layer)
Source: Israel's Ministry of Defense
What a surreal existence,
‘living‘ under, metal contraption,
gaze up the sky, super sonic,
iconic booms, large ornate,
super shield, no-one here, ever safe,
upwelling tears, choke, torment,
oppression, agression,
suppression, repression,
obsession, depression,
regression, succession,
chronological, tumbling tangents,
stemmed solely from, willful hate,
I look at you, square in the face,
fake flat blue, hands stained our blood
All alone, eternal dirt roads,
looped dreadful knots,
man, woman, our child,
densely pressed, clasped so rigid,
blood & fire, blinding red light,
air smells foul, full of crime,
mostly, ever, human platter,
burst and flood, our genocide...
I take a break, duality lived,
two different worlds,
one perfectly fake, empirical note,
and one so real, hidden plain sight,
perception appears, to dominate,
life is but, a standstill in sand,
aimless targets, fallen signposts,
humanity’s grave, Falastin’s flag
🎥 Dr Gabor Mate and Daniel Mate on genocide in Gaza | The Stream
Al Jazeera English | Aug 6, 2024
Thanks for the Iron Dome update, Najwan. I've been curious about the details myself. Loved that Cross Road Blues! Your poetry......awesome, moving, powerful.
Thanks for posting, Najwan. I'm listening to Gabor and Daniel Matte. Thanks for sharing this with us. Take good care.