U.S. Marines Train with Mobile Air Defense Adapted from Iron Dome

Latest Developments

The United States conducted a successful live-fire training of a transportable aerial defense system that includes components from Israel’s Iron Dome system. Investment in collaborative defense projects by Israel and the United States continues to benefit both nations’ range of capabilities to counter airborne threats posed by their adversaries.

According to a statement from the U.S. Marine Corps, Marines from the 1st Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion successfully completed an operational assessment of its Medium-Range Intercept Capability (MRIC) during a training exercise at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in September. MRIC is a portable, ground-based air and missile defense system being developed by the Marines to provide point, expeditionary defense from cruise missiles, rockets, drones, and other manned and unmanned aerial threats.

The system integrates American radar and command-and-control systems with the Iron Dome’s “Tamir” interceptors and transportable launcher developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and co-produced with the U.S.-based Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems.

“MRIC provides a competitive advantage in mobility and transportability in order to sustain operations inside an adversary’s weapons engagement zone,” the Marines said. “The Iron Dome interceptor, integrated into MRIC, is a highly reliable and combat-proven interceptor, with extensive operational experience accumulated over years of successful deployment in Israel.”

The Marine Corps plans to field the system to each of its three low-altitude defense battalions between 2026-2028. The Marines have conducted multiple tests of the system in the past few years, including a live-fire test in June 2022 and a digital integration test in June of this year. The Marines said that this most recent test was “extremely significant” because it marked the first time that Marines conducted “the full kill chain” in a realistic operational setting.

Expert Analysis

“For decades, the Department of Defense neglected air and missile defense, and now, the Army and Marine Corps are playing catch up as they eye increasingly capable adversaries and try to fill capability gaps. Once again, research and development cooperation with Israel is helping the U.S. military field world-class capabilities more quickly. The MRIC program can help ensure that forward-positioned Marines in the Pacific and elsewhere have the protection they need, and the program will also help create necessary redundant U.S.-based production capacity for the IDF when it comes to Tamir interceptors.” — Bradley Bowman, Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power

“This new air defense system represents an important addition to the new Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR) concept. The MLR will allow the Marine Corps to maneuver into position in the period prior to a conflict unfolding, something that might be impossible for traditional amphibious forces in a heavily contested environment like Taiwan or the Philippines.” — RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, FDD Senior Fellow and Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology

“The military benefits for Americans of working with allies such as Israel are not abstract. The U.S.-Israel cooperation at the heart of the MRIC program is going to result in a combat capability that helps Marines accomplish their missions and return home safely. Marines will have better capabilities fielded more quickly thanks to this bilateral cooperation.” — Cameron McMillan, FDD Research Analyst

“How America benefits from its security partnership with Israel,” by Bradley Bowman

“Seeking Certainty in an Uncertain Middle East,” by Bradley Bowman

“Build Iron Dome in the United States To Prepare for Israel’s Worst Day,” by Bradley Bowman and Lydia LaFavor