On Monday, the Israeli Ministry of Defense tweeted that the Iron Dome Interceptor acquired by the U.S. military from Israel had been successfully fired in White Sands, New Mexico. The first test was declared successful at about 9 a.m. ET. It was developed by Rafael and IAI Elta. Software support was provided by mPrest.
The Iron Dome is designed to shoot down short-range rockets. It could be used by the U.S. to intercept cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, rockets and shrapnel. It is an important component of Israel’s defense systems. The U.S. army had recently acquired these defense systems from Israel and on Monday, it has been successfully test fired on U.S. soil.
It is a fully mobile system and has 10 kg of explosives. It can intercept an incoming rocket or other aerial projectiles from a distance of four to seventy kilometers. It can calculate when rockets will land in open areas choosing not to intercept or towards civilian centers.
Earlier this year, the U.S. military had said that it was aiming to develop a “force field” that would stop missiles reaching the nation by 2060. The Air Force Research Lab is investigating the use of laser to develop such systems. It eventually hopes to be able to intercept nuclear missiles as well.
Meanwhile the U.S. army has also reported that it is building a cannon that is similar to Star Wars weaponry. It could be the most powerful laser weapon in the world.
The U.S. military is updating its arsenal with the Iron Dome Battery Shield as an initial step, for short term use, to combat probable future enemies. U.S. relations with two superpowers: Russia and China are at low points. Russia is looking to develop hypersonic missiles and stealth navy ships. Chinese military weaponry is reportedly being developed as well with less fanfare.
The U.S. has recently been caught on the wrong foot as the chaos in Afghanistan continues. The Taliban recently said that evacuation should be completed by August 31. As the U.S. races to complete the short-term goal of evacuation of its nationals and Afghans who helped them for almost two decades, it is also looking at the future as its relations with China or Russia might not be resolved in the near future and might even escalate as the future is always unknown and unseen.
