IDF Announces Rafael’s C-Dome First Combat Interception of Hostile Target at Sea

HAIFA, Israel — Overnight, the Israeli Navy successfully deployed Rafael’s C-Dome to intercept a suspicious hostile target which posed a significant threat to Israeli assets and strategic sites in southern Israel.

C-Dome is the naval version of the Iron Dome air and missile defense system and is integrated on the Israeli navy’s Sa’ar 6 corvettes.

This marks the system’s first combat interception, following a series of comprehensive tests over the last several years, serving as a major milestone in the C-Dome’s operational capabilities.

C-Dome serves as a critical layer of defense in Israel’s multi-layered air defense array, relying on the Iron Dome system interceptor, which, to-date has achieved over 6,000 combat interceptions.

C-Dome is capable of addressing existing and future threats that naval forces may encounter, including rockets, cruise missiles, sea-skimming missiles and drones.

In 2023, Rafael unveiled the C-Dome’s mission modular configuration to provide unprotected vessels, as well as vessels that lack adequate air defense means, with advanced and complementary capabilities against multiple, simultaneous attacks from a wide range of threats — without the need for deck penetration, vessel hull retrofit, cable routing, or complex platform integration. Open architecture enables compatibility with the ship’s sensors and CMS.

The integration of the C-Dome system reinforces the defensive capabilities of the Sa’ar 6 corvettes, enhancing their capacity to safeguard Israel’s assets and economic interests within the exclusive economic zone.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems serving is the prime contractor and developer of the Iron Dome system and C-Dome systems, collaborating with subcontractors Israel Aerospace Industries’ Elta Systems, which has developed the system’s radar, and mPrest, a Rafael subsidiary and developer of the system’s command-and-control systems. The development of the systems is overseen by the Israel Missile Defense Organization, a division of the Directorate for Defense Research and Development.