Indian Defence Review

Elta ELM-2084 radar used by the Iron Dome

The Iron Dome has changed the face of the battle and released the military to other operational tasks. “The Iron Dome system and its impressive success thus far have had a strategic impact on managing the campaign. It gives us wide options, but yet we can’t afford to be complacent”, said Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon. The Iron Dome was selected by the Israeli Defence Ministry to provide the lowest layer of Israel Multi-Layered Air & Missiles Defence umbrella. The system was chosen because it offered the most comprehensive defence solution for a range of threats, had a relatively short development cycle and a low cost-per-kill. The system is now battle tested.

Possible Buyers

NATO and a number of European countries have shown interest in the system which would be very useful to South Korea in view of constant artillery and missile threat from North Korea. US aerospace major and developer of Patriot system, Raytheon had teamed with Rafael in 2011 to market the system in the US and to complement its own intercept weapon system. It can integrate seamlessly with Raytheon C-RAM systems for layered defence. The US Army also needs the system for its Middle East deployments.

Some have questioned the cost vis-a-vis benefit ratio. A Tamir interceptor missile costs up to $50,000 and is fired against an $800-Palestinian Qassam rocket. With a range of 122 mm, the Qassam is able to cover significant parts of Southern Israel and threatens nearly one million inhabitants. Such an analysis is unreasonable and incorrect considering that the system selectively intercepts only those rockets constituting a threat. Also the costs of own lives saved have to be factored in.

The biggest plus for the system is the impact on national morale and self-confidence. Proponents of Laser and Directed Energy Weapons feel that those are cheaper solutions. However, systems currently under development such as ‘Nautilus Laser’ and ‘Skyguard’ are still to be operational. There are others who feel that heightened sense of security has made successive Israeli governments more ‘Trigger–happy’ and has reduced chances of rapprochement. Increase in intercept range of the Iron Dome is bound to reduce the number of batteries required to defend a given area.

The US government had supported the initial funding of a few systems. Having already invested $900 million by 2011, in May 2012, the US approved $680 million for technology sharing and co-production of the Iron Dome. The US has complete rights to the technology and Raytheon would soon join for co-production with other US firms supplying components.

Options for India

India has been working with Israel for many years for support for indigenous air defence systems. Rafael’s missiles include the Python and Derby air-to-air missiles, surface to air systems including the Spyder and the Barak anti-missile naval air defence system developed jointly by India with IAI. Under an agreement entered into in the year 2008, Rafael was awarded a contract to supply the Indian Air Force with the Spyder Low-Level Quick Reaction Missile systems (LLQRM) armed with Python and Derby missiles.

In August 2009, India signed a $2.5 billion deal with IAI and Rafael for the joint development of a new, advanced version of the Spyder surface-to-air missile. In March 2010, the two countries signed a $1.4 billion contract for the development and procurement of Barak 8 medium-range surface-to-air missiles. Over $10 billion worth of Israeli weapon systems have been procured by India in the first decade of this century. It has been a mutually beneficial arrangement with Israel getting a badly needed market and India, the modern weapon systems and transfer of technology.

Scientists in India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had suggested that India look at a joint development programme with Israeli firms to develop an Indian version of the Iron Dome. Indian military establishment’s temptation for acquiring the system is based on hostile neighbours. Pakistani terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) could well acquire artillery guns that could threaten large groups of Indian population. Unlike ballistic missiles, against which DRDO claims to have a fairly good anti-ballistic missile shield, there is almost no protection against short-range rockets or artillery fire. The DRDO is currently collaborating with Israeli firms to develop medium and long range surface-to-air missiles MRSAMs and LRSAMs. However, the Iron Dome is in a different class all together.

In the Indo-Pak context, India needs to defend border towns and upfront military formations from artillery attack. The Iron Dome could also be a good defence against ‘Nasr’, the Pakistani tactical nuclear weapon system reportedly under development. India would prefer joint development and production of the system with technology transfer so that it can complement the Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme. Indian critics say that the Iron Dome is essentially a theatre rocket defence system and far from a Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system. It might have worked with Hamas’ Qassam, Grad, WS-1E and Fajr-5 rockets but are no match for Pakistan’s larger, farther reaching and more powerful ballistic missiles.

There are three phases during which a long range missile/rocket can be intercepted. The boost phase intercept is when the missile has yet to jettison motors and presents a large target. Interceptor will have to be close to the border. In mid-phase, the missile is at very high altitude. In the terminal phase, it is of small in size and travelling at very high speed and thus difficult to intercept. In the Indo-Pak context, the Iron Dome class of system could best be used against battlefield weapons such as Nasr to defend frontier towns and army formations. The 60-km range Nasr being nuclear capable, its destruction would be crucial. The system could also do well against low-velocity Babur cruise missile.

India proposes to field the BMD systems around New Delhi and the financial capital Mumbai. Its own two-tiered defence system consists of two interceptors, the Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) and the Advanced Air Defence (AAD), whose effectiveness India’s DRDO claims is better than that of the US Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3). The combined effect of the Iron Dome and India’s BMD should reduce the threat from Pakistani missiles. India would certainly require a better than 80 per cent kill success rate against nuclear tactical missiles. India’s interest in the Iron Dome has generated both concern and interest among other militaries.

The Future

At the recent Singapore Air Show, Rafael unveiled a directed energy weapon called the ‘Iron Beam’. Developed jointly with USA, it can destroy rockets, mortars and other threats from the air using a high energy laser beam. David’s Sling, also called the ‘Magic Wand’, is being developed jointly by Rafael and Raytheon to intercept long range rockets and cruise missiles at distances up to 300 km. It is designed to intercept the next generation tactical ballistic missiles such as the Russian road-mobile ‘Iskandar’.

Named after Alexander the Great, the Iskandar has a variety of warheads including cluster munitions, fuel-air-explosive, earth penetrating bunker buster, electro-magnetic pulse anti-radar and can carry nuclear warheads. Magic Wand’s CCD/IIR seeker can distinguish between decoys and actual warhead. It uses Elta multi-mode radar with multi-stage solid-fuel interceptor and advanced steering for super-manoeuvrability during the kill-stage. Originally planned for deployment by 2015, the programme may slip due budgetary constraints. India is reportedly also interested in purchasing the longer-range David’s Sling system. The US and Israel are also developing the Arrow-3 system to intercept missiles at very high altitude, well before they are on the downward path towards the target. To be operational by 2016, the two will complement each other and serve as a multi-layer missile defence.