Force against Force: Comparison of Ukraine’s Air Defense Systems and Israel’s Iron Dome
Analysts of the Institute for the Study of War compared the air defense capabilities and capabilities to repel enemy attacks of Ukraine and Israel.
According to analysts, about 170 Shahed-136/131 drones, 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles were fired at Israel.
At the same time, the Russian occupiers are experimenting with cruise and ballistic missile strikes, as well as drones of various sizes and combinations. At the same time, the enemy regularly conducts large-scale combined strikes against targets in Ukraine.
According to the ISW, Iran’s large combined package of strikes was much less successful than Russia’s recent strikes in Ukraine, as Israeli air defense systems intercepted almost all of the approximately 320 air targets, with the exception of a few ballistic missiles.
The UAVs and missiles had to cross more than 1,000 kilometers of airspace in Iraq, Syria and Jordan before reaching Israel. This gave the country and its allies several hours to detect, track and intercept targets on approach.
Russian forces are launching drones and missiles from all over occupied Ukraine and in the immediate vicinity of Ukraine from Russian territory, giving Ukrainian air defense a fraction of the time that Israel and its allies used to successfully blunt a massive Iranian missile and drone strike, analysts say.
In addition, Israel has a strong air defense system that is responsible for responding to potential attacks across its shorter borders with its neighbors, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, while Ukraine’s capabilities are increasingly deteriorating due to a much wider front line in Ukraine and borders with Belarus and Russia.
Ukraine also does not have the ability to conduct air-to-air interceptions, as Israel and its allies did on the night of April 13. The situation is complicated by the large size of Ukraine compared to Israel. This makes it problematic to create the same density of air defense as Israel, especially against the backdrop of constant delays in providing security assistance from the United States.
Ukraine needs a significant stockpile of Western air defense systems and fighter jets capable of intercepting drones and missiles to create a combined air defense umbrella that is even remotely as effective as the one that Israel and its allies successfully used on April 13, the experts add.
What is known about Iran’s attack on Israel
On the night of April 14, Iran fired more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel.
The IDF said that 99% of the more than 300 missiles fired by Iran were intercepted by Israel and its “partners.”
In total, Iran has launched about 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles, and more than 120 ballistic missiles. Some of the missiles launched at Israel came from Iraq and Yemen.
According to US officials, US forces intercepted more than 70 drones and at least three ballistic missiles.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the attack was in retaliation for Israel’s deadly strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, on April 1.
