JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Iron Dome missile defense system has been upgraded, Israel’s Defense Ministry announced.
The upgrade will “expand and improve the performance capabilities of the system in the face of an unprecedented range of threats,” the ministry said Thursday in a statement.
The ministry declined to identify the improvements, which were made by the ministry and Israel’s state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
Iron Dome intercepted about 85 percent of missiles it targeted that were fired at Israel during last summer’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza. The system was deployed only for rockets destined to hit populated areas.
Each intercepting rocket costs between $50,000 and $100,000, according to the Jerusalem Post.
