Israeli Navy 'Mounted Iron Dome' Operational

A ship mounted with an advanced version of Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system has been declared operational, the Defense Ministry and the Israeli navy announced on Thursday.

A joint statement by the ministry and military said the advanced model of the Iron Dome, known as C-Dome, underwent testing last month while aboard the Sa’ar 6-class corvette INS Oz.

The navy’s new Sa’ar 6 corvettes are intended to guard natural gas platforms off Israel’s coast and shipping lanes.

"The test simulated real threats and included the system’s successful detection and interception of targets in challenging scenarios" and demonstrated a "significant milestone in enhancing the capabilities of the corvettes," marking "the final stage of the naval interception system’s operationalization," the Defense Ministry said.

"The C-Dome System constitutes a significant addition to the Israeli Navy’s defense capabilities in a wide array of missions, including the guarding of strategic assets, the Exclusive Economic Zone, and maintaining the regional maritime superiority of the State of Israel," the Defense Ministry said.

In a video released by the Defense Ministry, the Iron Dome is shown to intercept missiles successfully. Previous tests included attacks by drones and cruise missiles.

The tests were conducted off the coast of central Israel.

This announcement comes on the heels of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps being accused of striking an Israeli-owned oil tanker just off the coast of Oman on Tuesday.

"C-Dome, the naval configuration of the Iron Dome, promotes further operational flexibility and has become a part of the state of Israel’s multi-tiered missile and air defense array," said Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

The Israeli air force asserts that its multitiered missile defense system is meant to protect from aerial assaults.

The Iron Dome is the lowest layer of Israel’s multitiered missile defense system. It's Iron Beam laser-based system is still developing, while the midtier David’s Sling system is designed to shoot down medium-range projectiles.

The Arrow handles the longest-range systems, designed to intercept large ballistic missiles, and then there’s the American-made Patriot system used to shoot down aircraft.