IDF ship-mounted Iron Dome intercepts second hostile drone over Eilat in days

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Israel Defense Forces announced on Sunday that its ship-mounted Iron Dome aerial defense system had shot down an incoming hostile drone over Eilat, Israel’s southernmost city on the Red Sea.

There were no injuries or physical damage caused by the hostile drone, the military reported.

“A Sa’ar 6-class corvette successfully intercepted a UAV that approached Israeli territory from the southeast using the ‘C-Dome’ Defense System earlier this evening,” the IDF wrote on 𝕏.

British security company Ambrey confirmed that the IDF intercepted and successfully neutralized the hostile drone. Ambrey believes the drone was launched from Yemen, likely by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists.

The security company also noted unprecedented levels of Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) interference off the coast of Eilat and neighboring Aqaba, Jordan. “These were due to electronic warfare counter-measures,” the statement said.

It was the second time in days that Israel's ship-mounted Iron Dome had intercepted a hostile aerial target near Eilat. Last week, the naval-based Iron Dome system made history when it shot down a “suspicious aerial target” that had penetrated Israeli airspace. That suspicious target later turned out to be a hostile drone, likely also launched by the Houthis or some other Iranian-backed terror militia.

Known in the Israeli military as the C-Dome, the ship-mounted aerial defense system is deployed on Sa’ar 6 corvettes, the largest and most advanced battleships in the Israeli Navy, which are manufactured in Germany.

Iron Dome Israeli Navy's most
advanced ship
🤝

‘C-Dome’

See the first successful live-fire test
of the 'C-Dome' for yourself: pic.twitter.com/wFuVRJ2X8g
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 21, 2022

During the First Gulf War in 1991, when Iraq fired 39 Scud rockets at Israel, Jerusalem lacked an effective response to the escalating rocket and missile threat. At that time, the American-developed Patriot missile defense system achieved only limited success in intercepting the Iraqi missiles.

Israel, therefore, invested vast resources to develop an advanced multi-layered aerial defense system that could protect the country from missile threats that have increased dramatically over time. The Iranian regime has developed a large arsenal of precision missiles and rockets that it shares with its terror proxies Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.

The naval-based C-Dome, which is manufactured by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, was successfully tested in early 2022. At the time, then-Defense Minister Benny Gantz hailed the successful new system as a technological achievement for Israel.

“The technology that we are developing in the multi-layered defense system of the State of Israel allows us vital freedom of action vis-à-vis Iranian emissaries in the region and the means at their disposal, which are evolving,” he explained.

“We continue to be two steps ahead of them and will continue to act and upgrade our capabilities in defense and attack, in order to protect Israel’s security superiority in the region, the citizens of Israel and the Israeli economy.”

The C-Dome system is an integral part of Israel’s multi-layered aerial defense umbrella. The much-hailed Iron Dome is designed to counter shorter-range threats and is frequently used to intercept rockets from Gaza and Lebanon.

David’s Sling is another Israeli aerial defense system specifically targeting medium-range threats.

Finally, Israel’s Arrow defense system deals with long-range threats and successfully eliminated nearly all incoming Iranian ballistic missiles that were fired on Israel on Sunday morning.