In 2022, 1115 rockets were fired against Israel. The country, with a small territory of only 21,671 sq. km, suffered therefore with an average of about three rockets fired at them per day during the past year; in 2023 only, more than 7581 have already been fired by terrorist groups. With those sorrowful numbers, Israel needs to have advanced technologies that enable it to defend its civilians and its sovereignty from the atrocious effects of terrorism and antisemitism.
It is well known that, despite its small population and considerably short existence, Israel is a global power that develops cutting-edge technology--from launching satellites to being home to startups such as Waze, the navigation app used worldwide, and Wix, the platform used for The Daily Hawk’s very own website. This is also true when it comes to protecting their territory, and the Iron Dome is a great example of that. The system thereby called is the Jewish nation’s main defense system, which protects the civilians by shooting incoming rockets in the air and impeding them from hitting populated areas.
The equipment has been in action since 2011 and displays an accuracy of more than 90%. But how does it work? There are three major steps to it, as follows:
Trucks with radars are spread throughout the country, and they can detect an incoming rocket within four to 70 kilometers. If one is detected, the radar sends the information to a control center.
In the control center, the trajectory of the rockets is calculated to analyze if they will hit a city or an unpopulated area. The analysis is then used to determine whether there will be interference from the iron dome or not.
If interference is necessary, the control center will connect to one of the launchers also spread around the country to fire a rocket that will collide with the incoming one in the air, keeping it from posing a threat to civilians’ lives.
During the current conflicts, the Iron Dome has proven itself more than ever to be an extremely admirable defense technology that revolutionized many concepts of military technology, and is crucial for Israel’s very existence. The mechanism is a great specimen of how extreme situations and needs lead genius minds to create technological wonders never seen before.
Maybe you should discuss how many rockets have been fired against Gaza in the past year/decade, and the reasons why so many (yet not compared) are fired against Israel, considering the inhumane way they treat Palestinians, locked in a prison on their own land.