The United States army announced on Wednesday plans to purchase Israel’s Iron Dome weapons system, which has been in use since 2011. The missile defence system uses small interceptor missiles to shoot down incoming threats. US Army Col. Patrick Seiber said in a statement: “The Iron Dome will be assessed and experimented as a system that is currently available to protect deployed US military service members against a wide variety of indirect fire threats and aerial threats.
“While Iron Dome has been in operational use by the Israeli Air Force since 2011 and proven effective in combat, it should be noted that the US Army will assess a variety of options for its long-term IFPC solution.
“No decisions have been made regarding the fielding or experimentation of Iron Dome in specific threaters.”
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal was a “great achievement for Israel”.
He added: “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.”
Israel’s Ministry of Defence said the purchase was made because of the “immediate need” of the US army, potentially sparking World War 3 fears.
The missile defence system was developed by Israel’s state-run Defence company Rafael Advanced Defence Systems.
Some US manufacturers also provided parts for interceptors used in the Iron Dome defence system.
According to Israeli and US officials, the defence system has a success rate of around 90 percent.