JV between Rafael and Raytheon to make Iron Dome in US
Following more than a decade of co-operation on Iron Dome, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Raytheon Missiles & Defense have officially set up a JV to produce the missile and rocket defence system in the US.
The Raytheon Rafael Area Protection Systems JV expects to select a site by the end of this year.
‘This will be the first Iron Dome all-up-round facility outside of Israel, and it will help the US Department of Defense and allies across the globe obtain the system for defense of their service members and critical infrastructure,’ Sam Deneke, VP of land warfare and air defence business execution at Raytheon Technologies, said in a 3 August statement.
The new facility will produce the Iron Dome weapon system itself, comprising the Tamir interceptor and launcher, as well as the US-built SkyHunter interceptor missile (which is derived from Tamir).
SkyHunter and Tamir are each capable of intercepting cruise missiles, UAVs and short-range rockets, artillery shells and mortar bombs.
The US Army announced in February 2019 that it was buying two Iron Dome systems.
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