U.S. to Purchase Iron Dome Missile Defense System from Israel

The U.S. Army has purchased the 'Iron Dome' from Israel, the missile defense system that has been protecting Israelis from rockets launched from Gaza for over a decade, Israel’s Defense Ministry announced Wednesday.

“The Iron Dome system will be used for deployed U.S. military forces as a defense system against a wide range of ballistic and airborne threats, and will be tested in the long term as part of a range of possible U.S. military responses to aerial threats,” a statement by the Defense Ministry said.

US Army Col. Patrick Seiber said in a statement that the U.S. Army will also be deployed for Indirect Fire Protection Capability.

“The Iron Dome will be assessed and experimented as a system that is currently available to protect deployed U.S. military service members against a wide variety of indirect fire threats and aerial threats,” Seiber said.

“While Iron Dome has been in operational use by the Israeli Air Force since 2011 and proven effective in combat, it should be noted that the U.S. Army will assess a variety of options for its long-term IFPC solution,” he added.

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