Israel's 'Iron Dome' can shoot down thousands of missiles at once, how it is different from India's S-400 Triumf?

Israeli warplanes launched Operation Rising Lion targeting Iran’s military and nuclear sites earlier this month. Tehran recently retaliated with Operation True Promise III, breaching the Iron Dome, one of Israel’s well-known air defense systems. Reportedly, Iran fired over 150 missiles at the Tel Aviv-based military complex, deep into Israel's defence infrastructure. Though Israel's missile defense systems, including the Iron Dome, have successfully repelled most of Iran's attacks so far. 

Iron Dome was developed in Israel by state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems with US backing. It was designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells. Since 2011, the mobile all-weather defence system has been fully operational and has been upgraded several times. Over a decade, it has intercepted thousands of rockets with a reported success rate exceeding 90%.

According to Israel’s Defense Forces, the Iron Dome consists of several operations involving the soldiers who operate the system, technology and machinery used to intercept incoming rockets and commanders who supervise the network. This air defense system uses radar to track incoming rockets. It determines the missile’s trajectory threatening a protected area. In case, a rocket poses a threat, a command and control centre responds by launching its own Tamir missile to intercept it. 

Reportedly, Iron Dome is one of the layers of Israel’s multi-layer defense system each designed to address threats coming from different ranges. It possesses a network of radar emitters, command and control facilities, and interceptors (special surface-to-air missiles). It can intercept rockets, mortars, and artillery shells within a range of 2.5 to 43 miles. With at least 10 batteries deployed across the country, each battery protects a 60-square-mile area. It is equipped with 3-4 launchers, each carrying up to 20 Tamir interceptors as per reports. However, it also has its weakness, as analysts have warned that the defense system could face challenges when responding to heavy rocket fire.

In comparison to India’s defense system, ‘S-400 ‘Triumf,  Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense operates differently. While it is specifically designed to intercept short-range aerial threats, India’s multi-level air defense S-400 is designed to protect against long-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, stealth aircraft and hypersonic projectiles. S-400 is capable of intercepting incoming projectiles at a range of 400 kilometres and an altitude of 30 kilometres. Hence, India’s strategy is markedly different from Israel's. For the unversed, India acquired the S-400 system from Russia in 2018.