“I will build an Iron Dome over our country, a state-of-the-art missile defense shield made in the USA,” former US president Donald Trump, who is now the leading candidate in the 2024 Republican presidential primaries, said in New Hampshire on Tuesday night.
“We do it for other countries,” he said of the Iron Dome. “We help other countries… We’ve built… but we don't do it for ourselves,” Trump said on stage.
“We have unbelievable technology,” Trump continued, “we should have that,” he said of the Iron Dome. He related to his visits to Israel without actually mentioning it by name. “I've seen so many things. I've seen shots that you wouldn't even believe… they got missiles launched, and you hear a bell go… it's so incredible.”
Of those who invented the Iron Dome, he said that they are “geniuses” and that “these are not muscle guys here,” he said pointing at his arms, “they're muscle guys up here,” he then pointed at his head.
Trump repeated, “We don't have it [Iron Dome technology] here. But we help other countries in having it now.” He concluded, “We're going to have the greatest Iron Dome. Let's call it Iron Dome, and it's going to be manufactured, a lot of it, right here in New Hampshire.”
What is Israel's Iron Dome?
Iron Dome is an Israeli mobile air defense system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries. It is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells within 4 to 70 kilometers, targeting populated areas. Since its operational deployment in March 2011, the system has been notably successful, including a reported 90% interception rate for rockets from Gaza aimed at populated areas.
The United States has significantly funded the Iron Dome, contributing $1.6 billion from 2011 to 2021 and an additional $1 billion in 2022. Additionally, plans were announced in 2017 to deploy Iron Dome batteries at sea on Sa'ar 6-class corvettes to protect offshore gas platforms, expanding its range and versatility.