Iron Dome is an Israeli mobile all-weather 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 fired from distances of 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) to 70 kilometers (43 mi) away and whose trajectory would take them to an Israeli populated area. The system is highly effective, boasting a 95.6% success rate during a rocket salvo fired by Islamic Jihad in May 2023. The Iron Dome is equipped with a radar that detects rockets and then uses a command-and-control system that quickly calculates whether an incoming projectile poses a threat or is likely to hit an unpopulated area. If the rocket does pose a threat, the Iron Dome fires missiles from the ground to destroy it in the air. The system has been deployed since 2011 and has saved countless civilian lives over various conflicts in the last decade. The interceptors cost as much as $100,000 apiece, and Israel has at least 10 Iron Dome batteries throughout the country, each designed to defend a 60-square-mile populated area.