Can Israel’s Iron Dome, David’s Sling or Arrow Defense Systems Stop Ballistic Missiles?

Israel’s three air defense systems may be put to the test if Iran’s reported ballistic missile attack plan is put into action.

White House officials said Tuesday that the country was planning to carry out the attack on its neighbor “imminently,” while Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it was on high alert for any possible launch.

Israel has a multilayered approach when it comes to air defense, with three main systems it can use to intercept rockets, and it was last used in April 2024, when Iran launched a barrage of 300 missiles and drones toward Israel.

“On April 14, in conjunction with the highly capable defenses of the United States and the operational coordination with other partners, they proved quite capable,” Tom Karako, Director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Newsweek.

Iron Dome

Israel’s Iron Dome system is a short-range air defense system, developed with help from the United States Department of Defense.

It was originally built to deal with rockets fired by Hamas from Gaza in 2011 and uses radar to track rockets. The system is able to work out whether rockets will hit built-up areas or not, and then fires missiles to intercept if populated areas are likely to be struck.

The units are pulled on the back of trucks, meaning they can be moved to wherever IDF deems necessary, and the Israeli government has said it has a 90 percent success rate.

Iron Dome has been used frequently during the conflict with Hamas over the past twelve months.

David’s Sling

This is a midrange system designed to tackle ballistic missiles from as far as 124 miles away, as well as aircraft, drones and cruise missiles.

Again, this was a joint Israel-U.S. project, between the state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and U.S. company Raytheon Co.

David’s Sling was created in 2017, but didn’t see its first operational interception of a missile until May 2023 over Tel Aviv.

Arrow

The highest-level defense system has two parts—Arrow 2 and 3—and is designed to intercept missiles flying outside Earth’s atmosphere.

It was designed with an Iranian missile threat in mind, and was used on Oct. 31, 2023, during an operation over the Red Sea, where it intercepted a surface-to-surface missile fired toward Israel.

Germany committed to buying Arrow-3 for just over $4 billion a month earlier.

Could these systems fend off a ballistic attack?

Working together in this “multilayered” approach, Israel’s missile defense systems have been successful before.

“Virtually every single U.S. and Israeli missile defense system has been operationally employed, with success, in the last several years,” Karako told Newsweek.

U.S. Secretary of Defense, Antony Blinken, said Tuesday that he was keeping a close eye on the situation and the U.S. was committed to Israel’s defense.

The U.S. has supported Israel in its efforts over the past year, including funding for arms and aid since the outbreak of the conflict with Hamas.

Iran’s potential attack could be as large as the one seen in April this year, meaning Israel’s resources could be stretched.

“Putting aside technical capability, capacity and inventory are real problems. There is always a finite number of interceptors and other resources to counter these threats.”

Newsweek has emailed the IDF for comment.