<p>An Israeli missile shield, which created some buzz in the defence ministry last year following its success in Gaza Strip, may not finally come to India, as the armed forces are not satisfied with its utility because of its short range.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Known as Iron Dome, it is an air defence system — meant to neutralise rockets and artillery cells fired from a distance of up to 70 km — which emerged as one of the world’s most successful missile shields.<br /><br />As the ministry was scouring the market for an effective missile cover for Delhi and Mumbai, Iron Dome caught its attention. Preliminary discussions were held with Israeli officials, too. But now, questions are being raised by the armed forces over its efficiency.<br />“Our challenges are bigger. We have to cover a bigger distance. <br /><br />We have a dense airspace and a long border. Iron Dome is not the answer for our requirement,” Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne, chief of Indian the Air Force and chairman of the Chief of Staff Committee, said at the airshow here on Thursday.<br /><br />The Iron Dome system, developed by Rafael Advanced Defence System, is on display at the show along with the launchers, which drew curious crowd in the last three days.<br /><br />Incidentally, this is one of the few pavilions, which Defence Minister A K Antony visited after inaugurating the airshow signifying Israel’s importance as military supplier. Along with the USA and Russia, Israel is also one of the largest suppliers of military hardware to India.<br /><br />“One of the highlights of this year’s airshow, presented for the first time in India, is the Iron Dome system. This is an indigenously developed, game-changing, first-of-its-kind missile interception system.<br /><br /> It performed with notable distinction, protecting over half of Israel’s population from a barrage of over 1,500 rockets and missiles,” Israeli ambassador Alon Ushpiz said. Last year alone it neutralised more than 400 rocket attacks.<br /><br />“We have seen the performance of Iron Dome in Gaza last year. It proved successful in that environment. But the system is still being fine-tuned and the Indian environment is different. Other systems like David’s Sling are also being developed,” Browne said.<br /><br />Unlike the short-range Iron Dome, a longer-range defence system called David Sling, with an interceptor missile known as Stunner, is in the making. Only one trial had been carried out, but the two countries have begun preliminary discussions. The Stunner too is on display at the Bangalore airshow.<br /></p>
<p>An Israeli missile shield, which created some buzz in the defence ministry last year following its success in Gaza Strip, may not finally come to India, as the armed forces are not satisfied with its utility because of its short range.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Known as Iron Dome, it is an air defence system — meant to neutralise rockets and artillery cells fired from a distance of up to 70 km — which emerged as one of the world’s most successful missile shields.<br /><br />As the ministry was scouring the market for an effective missile cover for Delhi and Mumbai, Iron Dome caught its attention. Preliminary discussions were held with Israeli officials, too. But now, questions are being raised by the armed forces over its efficiency.<br />“Our challenges are bigger. We have to cover a bigger distance. <br /><br />We have a dense airspace and a long border. Iron Dome is not the answer for our requirement,” Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne, chief of Indian the Air Force and chairman of the Chief of Staff Committee, said at the airshow here on Thursday.<br /><br />The Iron Dome system, developed by Rafael Advanced Defence System, is on display at the show along with the launchers, which drew curious crowd in the last three days.<br /><br />Incidentally, this is one of the few pavilions, which Defence Minister A K Antony visited after inaugurating the airshow signifying Israel’s importance as military supplier. Along with the USA and Russia, Israel is also one of the largest suppliers of military hardware to India.<br /><br />“One of the highlights of this year’s airshow, presented for the first time in India, is the Iron Dome system. This is an indigenously developed, game-changing, first-of-its-kind missile interception system.<br /><br /> It performed with notable distinction, protecting over half of Israel’s population from a barrage of over 1,500 rockets and missiles,” Israeli ambassador Alon Ushpiz said. Last year alone it neutralised more than 400 rocket attacks.<br /><br />“We have seen the performance of Iron Dome in Gaza last year. It proved successful in that environment. But the system is still being fine-tuned and the Indian environment is different. Other systems like David’s Sling are also being developed,” Browne said.<br /><br />Unlike the short-range Iron Dome, a longer-range defence system called David Sling, with an interceptor missile known as Stunner, is in the making. Only one trial had been carried out, but the two countries have begun preliminary discussions. The Stunner too is on display at the Bangalore airshow.<br /></p>
