Army executes Iron Dome Defense System – live fire at White Sands Missile Range

Photo By Michael A Smith | Iron Dome Scenario 1 Hot  

WHITE SANDS, NM, UNITED STATES

08.23.2021

Courtesy Story

Program Executive Office Missiles and Space

(White Sands Missile Range) The US Army, in conjunction with the Israeli Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), took a critical step toward fielding the first of two Iron Dome Defense System-Army (IDDS-A) batteries. IDDS-A will defend supported forces within fixed and semi-fixed locations against sub-sonic Cruise Missiles, Groups 2 &3 Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and Rockets, Artillery and Mortar threats.
In August 2019, the United States and Israel signed an agreement for the procurement of two IDDS-A batteries to defend deployed US forces against various aerial threats. The IDDS-A systems were delivered in 2020, and have undergone a process of acceptance testing and operator training over the past months.
The 3-43 Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Battalion (BN), a subordinate unit assigned to the 11th ADA Brigade (BDE) in Fort Bliss, TX is the first unit to undergo New Equipment Training, and execute live fire tests with the newly acquired interim cruise missile defense system. Soldiers from 3-43 ADA successfully engaged eight cruise missile surrogate targets as part of a coordinated performance test and live fire event.
The US Army plans to field both IDDS-A batteries as an interim cruise missile defense solution, while continuing to acquire an enduring Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) Increment 2 (Inc2) system. Future variants of the IFPC program include technology insertions such as directed energy, which will provide a critical protection capability against sub-sonic Cruise Missiles, Groups 2 &3 Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and Rockets, Artillery and Mortars threats.

• Date Taken: 08.23.2021
• Date Posted: 08.23.2021 10:45
• Story ID: 403714
• Location: WHITE SANDS, NM, US