Up Close With Israel’s Iron Dome Missile-Killer

In its early days, the Israel Defense Forces had to smuggle weapons in and assemble planes with parts imported from around the globe. Today, the IDF is one of the world's most advanced military operations, thanks in part to homemade security, aerospace, and weapons technology. One of Israel’s most famous military inventions is the Iron Dome, a vast, high-tech shield against the rain of missiles that has threatened the nation.

Here, Hello World’s Ashlee Vance travels to the coastal town of Ashkelon, near Gaza, to see an Iron Dome battery up close. The IDF’s Lt. Col. Liran Cohen explains how the technology instantly detects incoming missiles and other projectiles, then uses algorithms to determine whether they might land on heavily populated areas or strategic targets and to calculate the potential damage. If it's great enough, the system fires off a missile of its own to intercept the projectiles in midflight.