US to buy Israeli Iron Dome missile defence system

The US military has announced plans to buy and test out Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system.

The system, which uses radar and interceptor missiles to combat incoming threats, has been in use since 2011.

The US Department of Defence has said the system will be used on a test basis, while it assesses options for the military's long-term needs.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has labelled the sale a "great achievement for the country".

"This is another manifestation of the deepening of our steadfast alliance with the United States, and an expression of Israel's rising status in the world," his statement went on.

Iron Dome works by tracking incoming short-range projectiles by radar, then analyses data about the likely impact zone - before assessing whether to provide co-ordinates to a missile firing unit to intercept.