The Israeli government and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. recently conducted an interception test of a naval version of the Iron Dome air defense system.
The company and Israeli government announced the successful test on Nov. 16. The naval version of the system, dubbed the C-DOME, was installed on the INS Oz Sa’ar 6-Class Corvette.
The Oz is the second of four new missile corvettes delivered from Germany’s Thyssen-Krupp Marine Systems. The government and Rafael noted that “operationalizing the system constitutes a significant milestone in enhancing the capabilities of the corvettes.”
The company said this test “simulated real threats and included the system’s successful detection and interception of targets in challenging scenarios,” without elaborating on the scenarios.
“The C-DOME system expertly identified threats and successfully intercepted them by launching IRON DOME interceptors toward them from the sea. C-DOME, the naval configuration of the IRON DOME, promotes further operational flexibility and has become a part of the State of Israel’s multi-tiered missile and air defense array,” Moshe Patel head of the Defense Ministry’s Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), said in a statement.
IMDO led development of the C-DOME
Patel added this came after Iron Dome successfully completed a series of tests over the past year with the United States Army and Marine Corps in both Israel and the U.S.
Last month, the Marine Corps said it conducted the third and final live fire test of its Medium Range Intercept Capability (MRIC) prototype that incorporates Iron Dome components (Defense Daily, Oct. 31).
During the summer, the U.S. Army completed its own live fire test with the Iron Dome system at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico (Defense Daily, Aug. 2).
Rafael said the C-DOME test involved cooperation by the Israeli Navy, Ministry of Defense Directorate for Defense R&D (DDR&D), Rafael Advanced Defense Systems as the C-DOME prime contractor and developer, the Israel Aerospace Industries’ subsidiary Elta as the radar manufacturer, and mPrest as the C2 manufacturer.
The Israeli Defense Ministry said C-DOME seeks to add another layer to Israel’s missile and air defense systems, which already include the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 rocket and missile defense systems.
“The C-DOME is the first operational naval defense solution of its kind and the test on the Saar 6 corvette of the Israeli Navy serves as a monumental achievement in the development of the system,” Ran Gozali, Rafael executive vice president and head of the land and naval systems directorate, said in a statement.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz also noted the significance of this testing.
“The operationalization of the C-DOME system is a significant milestone for the State of Israel’s naval defense capabilities. I would like to congratulate the Israeli Navy, the Ministry of Defense’s IMDO, and Rafael, for this groundbreaking technological process and for their cooperation and determination that led to this great success,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz said in a statement.
Rear Adm. Guy Goldfarb, deputy commander in chief and chief of staff, argued this work with the corvette shows the Israeli Navy “is at the height of the advanced operationalization of the Sa’ar 6 corvettes, currently taking place at record speed.”
Goldfarb noted Israel previously operationalized the first of the new corvettes, the INS Magen, which completed its first operational activity patrolling Israel’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). He said these corvettes will be a central part of protecting the Israeli EEZ and ensuring maritime superiority.