Israel’s Iron Dome Saves Lives … and Brews Your Coffee

Since its deployment in April 2017, Iron Dome has been utilized two thousand times with an unbelievable 90 per cent success rate. Rafael’s VP Pini Yungman recently reported that following the latest upgrades to the Iron Dome system, a hundred per cent of targets were destroyed in the field tests.

After an attack by Iranian drones on Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure sites in September 2019, in February of this year, Rafael announced that in collaboration with Israel Aerospace Industries, Elbit and a number of civilian companies, the new “Drone Dome” has been deployed. This system uses laser cannons to destroy squadrons of attacking drones and UAV’s (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) at a distance of many kilometers. Many of these multi-million dollar drone defense systems have already been sold, including six systems sold to the UK army.

The Iron Dome and its new longer-range version, David’s Sling, exclusively utilizes Israeli made parts and systems. These now form the foundation of Israel’s multi-layer missile defense system, which cover more than 90 per cent of all missiles that could be shot at Israel. The newest version is the Sahar 5 naval-based version.

An Iron Dome missile costs less than 10 per cent of the cost of a conventional missile. As such, it is the most effective missile interceptor system in the world. The Iron Dome development has helped turn Rafael into a $3B defense system company.

But Rafael has also transferred its technology to spawn many products and businesses in a number of diverse fields. Its medical applications include insulin delivery and cryotherapy. It has developed businesses in the field of semiconductors, laser technology, broadband wireless systems, imaging, and high tech cameras.

It has sold companies to Microsoft and Hoffman La Roche, amongst others, which allows the Israeli Government to recoup their cost of development, and employ hundreds of engineers and scientists in profitable business entities.

One such company is mPrest. Amongst its numerous predictive technologies, this company, which is 50 per cent owned by Rafael, offers “smart grid” technology that can predict power outages and proactively reroute the electrical grid to prevent blackouts. 

Amongst the jurisdictions that have purchased this technology are New York, San Diego, and Guelph Ontario, where Ellis Don, the huge London, Ontario-based construction company, has both installed this technology and created a joint venture with mPrest, to spread this technology to the world’s $60B “smart grid” market.

After all is said and done, the rockets from Lebanon compelled Israel to create new technologies, which defend the country, created dozens of new businesses, employ thousands, earn billions, make the world a safer and healthier place to live and provide the power to brew our morning coffee.

And isn’t that just what we have come to expect from Israel, the miracle of the Middle East.