Israel announces upgrade of Iron Dome rocket defense system

JERUSALEM: The Israeli Defense Ministry on Tuesday announced it has completed an upgrade of the country's

Iron Dome

rocket-defense system to cope with an additional array of aerial threats.

The Iron Dome was developed to intercept short-range unguided rockets and has shot down some 2,500 incoming projectiles fired from the

Gaza Strip

since it was deployed a decade ago.

In a statement, the ministry's head of missile defense,

Moshe Patel

, said the Iron Dome has completed a series of tests that included successful interceptions of rocket and missile salvos as well as simultaneous interceptions of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Iron Dome is part of

Israel

's multilayered aerial

defense system

, ranging from systems capable of intercepting rockets fired from short range up to striking long-range missiles outside of the atmosphere. Patel said the new Iron Dome system would be deployed by Israel's air force and navy in the near future.