Israel’s Iron Dome Is Headed to Romania

Considering its proximity to the war in Ukraine, Romania will feel safer with the Iron Dome in hand.

The most deployed air defense system in use across the globe is unquestionably the Iron Dome. Representing a key pillar in Israel’s multilayered defense strategy, the cutting-edge system boasts a success rate of over 90 percent. In the aftermath of the Hamas invasion of Israel in October 2023, the world has witnessed the Iron Dome’s effectiveness in thwarting enemy-launched projectiles. Working in conjunction with the Arrow 2/Arrow 3 and David’s Sling systems, the Iron Dome has saved countless lives from lethal unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), missile, and rocket barrages launched by Iran and its regional proxy groups. The Iron Dome has caught the attention of foreign nations, most recently Romania.

This week, Romanian defense minister Ionut Mosteanu announced that the Romanian government will be seeking to import the Iron Dome air defense system. According to Romanian news outlets, the Israeli air defense system will better protect Romania from barrages comprised of short and very short-range missiles. “These are defensive missile batteries that we don’t have, and we need them. If I were to give an example, when we see images from Tel Aviv when the Iranians attack and we see the Iron Dome, that is SHORAD-VSHORAD, and it protects Tel Aviv. It will protect us as well. Whether it’s airports, military bases, or, God forbid, we need to defend our cities,” said Mosteanu during an interview for the public broadcaster TVR.

Considering Romania’s proximity to the active war zone that is Ukraine, its government’s desire to acquire more sophisticated air defense capabilities makes sense. Last September, debris from missiles and UAVs launched by Moscow toward Kyiv reportedly landed in Romania. In fact, during the first year of Russia’s invasion, similar debris landed in neighboring countries at least 16 times. Since Romania shares a 400-mile border with Ukraine, its territory and airspace could be easily impacted by the ongoing war.

The Iron Dome

Just as Israel is heavily protected from proxy-launched barrages by the Iron Dome, Romania will soon possess this advantage. The mobile all-weather air defense system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries first entered service with Israel in 2011. Israel’s rocket swarm “shield” is capable of intercepting and taking out short-range projectiles from a range of 2.5 miles to 90 miles. From cruise missiles and mortar shells to UAVs and rockets, the Iron Dome’s command and control system can intercept many projectiles deemed an immediate threat to Israel’s civilians.

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