Naval version of the Iron Dome
C-Dome – Israel uses variant of the Iron Dome at sea for the first time
Sa’ar-6 class corvette in the waters off Israel
© IDF
Israel has a defense system that Kiev urgently needs. The Iron Dome effectively and cost-effectively intercepts enemy flying objects. Now the marine version C-Dome has successfully completed its baptism of fire.
Now you might think that the marine version of the C-Dome is an Iron Dome at sea – but it is by no means the case that the modules of the original system were simply loaded onto a ship. The C-Dome is integrated into the command structure of the The ship is integrated and uses the ship’s radar. In June 2022, testing of the C-Dome was conducted aboard a Sa’ar 6-class corvette. Five months later, operational readiness was announced. The corvettes were built in Germany. The four ships of the Sa’ar-6 class are 90 meters long – so they are larger corvettes. They protect the natural gas platforms off the coast of Israel and guard the shipping routes.
Protection of the city of Eilat
Now the first confirmed use has taken place. Late Monday, “enemy flying objects” entered Israeli airspace near the city of Eilat, “The target was successfully intercepted by the ‘C-Dome’ naval defense system,” according to an IDF statement on Telegram. “No injuries were reported and no damage was caused.” The operation was also noticed from land and there are numerous videos of it circulating.
The Iron Dome has effectively protected Israel since 2011. The manufacturer Rafael states an interception probability of around 90 percent. It is further increased by the use of two interceptor missiles. The frigate also sent two Tamir missiles at the attacker. According to Rafael, the maritime C-Dome ensures “complete ship protection and high kill probability against a full spectrum of modern threats – at sea and on the coast.”
Inexpensive system for Israel
Iron Dome and C-Dome are not only particularly effective, the interceptor missiles are comparatively cheap. Although exact figures are not available, the cost of a Tamir interceptor missile is estimated at $40,000 to $50,000. Other anti-air interceptor missiles cost a million or more. Israel has long been attacked with simple cheap missiles, which are primitive but numerous. The dome systems are therefore the best answer against attacks with large numbers of cheap drones. Both dome systems work fully automatically and can therefore react very quickly. And they have to, because there is hardly any reaction time. The advantages such as low costs are offset by a small range. The dome systems only protect a circle with a radius of around seven kilometers, although the pure range is 17 kilometers. The C-Dome is therefore important for Israel because a ship can patrol at sea in front of a city and compensate for the short range with the protective shield in front.
At times there was hope that Kiev could benefit from Israel’s capabilities and assets, but this has not yet happened. On the contrary, the Gaza war has drained Israel’s stockpiles of defensive weapons. In fact, Kiev has seen that Israel enjoys a higher priority for arms deliveries than Ukraine.