Iron Dome put to live-fire test by US Marine Corps
The US Marine Corps (USMC) has successfully integrated Rafael's Iron Dome ground launcher and Tamir interceptor missile with the Northrop Grumman AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) and the corps' CAC2S battle management system as part of the Medium-Range Intercept Capability (MRIC) Prototype effort.
Following the live-fire test at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, Don Kelley, programme manager for ground-based air defence at the USMC's PEO Land Systems, said 'This demonstration proves that we do now have a relevant capability.'
The system performed exactly as was predicted by a USMC simulation prior to the test itself.
According to Shephard Defence Insight, the Israel Defence Forces operate a total of ten Iron Dome batteries for C-RAM and short-range air defence. The system has also been trialled by the US Army.
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