Israel has a problem with its Iron Dome missile defense system — too many targets. StrategyPage has the story:
Although the new Israeli Iron Dome system succeeded in shooting down about 85 percent of the 500 hundred rockets (of 1,500 launched) headed for Israeli populated areas, this was something of a shock. This was the original situation the system was designed for. It was originally believed that only ten percent of less accurate rockets would need to be intercepted by Iron Dome missiles. The rest would fall into unpopulated areas that are common near the northern and southern borders. But the eight day bombardment by Hamas rockets last November saw 1,500 larger or longer ranged rockets fired at larger targets (cities). This meant a third of the rockets headed for populated areas and thus needing an Iron Dome interceptor missile. Even though Israel has ordered more Iron Dome missiles, too many rockets headed for populated areas in a short time means some incoming rockets that should get an interceptor missile won’t.
What we have here is a repeat of Soviet naval tactics from the 1970s and ’80s. Their ships were OK, but their crews mostly sucked, and they didn’t have a serious aircraft carrier. So they planned to take out our carriers by saturating their defense with cruise missiles. They had cruise missile-armed subs, cruise missile-armed bombers, the works. And they all had the same mission: To launch so many cruise missiles at our carriers that we wouldn’t be able to shoot them all down.
I breathe a sigh of relief every time I remember that the Soviets never put their plan to the test.
The Israelis don’t have that luxury.
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