Iron Dome’s Price: $50,000 Per Shot, Fired in Dozens as Iran Launches $5,000 Missiles | APT
[Music] on June 13th 2025 Iran launched a massive missile barrage against Israel dubbed Operation True Promise III in retaliation for Israeli air strikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities earlier that day the attack marked a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the two nations and exposed vulnerabilities in Israel’s multi-layered air defense system particularly the renowned Iron Dome this account details how Iran breached Israel’s defenses the strike on the Israeli Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv and the costs associated with Iron Dome operations iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps IRGC initiated the assault with approximately 100 ballistic missiles fired in two salvos targeting key Israeli military sites including air bases and command centers the operation was a direct response to Israel’s rising lion strikes which targeted nuclear facilities in Natans and Isvahan and killed senior Iranian commanders including General Muhammad Begi and General Hussein Salami iranian state media described the missile barrage as the beginning of a crushing response with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Kam vowing to leave Israel helpless the missiles included a mix of medium-range ballistic missiles MRBMs and critically hypersonic ballistic missiles such as the FATA series which Iran claimed were used for the first time in this attack these hypersonic missiles capable of speeds exceeding Mach 5 and maneuvering during flight posed a significant challenge to Israel’s air defense systems unlike the slower short-range rockets typically fired by Hamas or Hezbollah which the Iron Dome is optimized to intercept hypersonic missiles travel at extreme velocities and follow unpredictable trajectories making them harder to track and intercept iran’s strategy appeared to rely on saturation and sophistication by launching a large number of missiles simultaneously Iran aimed to overwhelm Israel’s defenses forcing the system to prioritize targets and potentially miss critical threats the inclusion of hypersonic missiles further complicated the interception process as these weapons can evade radar detection and outmaneuver interceptors designed for more conventional threats israel’s air defense network is a multi-layered system comprising the Iron Dome David Sling Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 each designed to counter specific types of threats at different altitudes and ranges the Iron Dome operational since 2011 is optimized for short-range rockets 470 km and has a reported interception success rate of 85 90% against such threats david’s Sling targets medium to long range rockets and cruise missiles 100300 km while the Arrow systems are designed to intercept long range ballistic missiles including those outside the atmosphere despite this robust architecture Iran’s attack exposed limitations the Iron Dome while effective against low-flying unguided rockets from Gaza or Lebanon is less suited to counter high-speed ballistic missiles particularly hypersonics the ARO systems which are better equipped for ballistic missile defense have fewer interceptors and are costlier to operate leading to strategic decisions about which targets to prioritize in previous attacks such as Iran’s October 1st 2024 barrage Israel reportedly allowed some missiles to land in open areas to conserve interceptors for population centers like Tel Aviv [Music] on June 13th 2025 videos verified by news outlets showed Iranian missiles penetrating Israel’s defenses and striking central Tel Aviv social media posts reported smoke rising over the city and explosions suggesting successful impacts with some users claiming hypersonic missiles had bypassed the Iron Dome entirely the Israel Defense Forces IDF acknowledged that while most missiles were intercepted a limited number hit structures due to interception failures a particularly significant outcome of the attack was the reported strike on the Israeli Ministry of Defense headquarters in central Tel Aviv iranian state media claimed the IRGC successfully hit the facility a claim partially corroborated by Israeli media reports of impacts near the building a video showed a missile striking a part of Tel Aviv where several military facilities including the IDF headquarters are located the footage captured the Iron Dome attempting to intercept the incoming missile but the projectile evaded the interceptors and detonated causing a visible explosion the IDF reported that the attack caused property damage but no direct injuries at the headquarters itself however across Tel Aviv and other areas 21 people were injured with two in serious condition primarily from shrapnel or falls while rushing to shelters videos and photos showed damaged buildings and fires in the Ramat gun area of Tel Aviv with rescue teams evacuating residents the strike on the defense ministry headquarters was symbolically and strategically significant as the nerve center of Israel’s military operations the facility houses critical command and control infrastructure [Music] even if the damage was limited the breach underscored Iran’s ability to penetrate Israel’s defenses and strike high-v value targets challenging the perception of Israeli invulnerability [Music] the Iron Dome developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems with US support is a costly system to operate particularly during large-scale attacks each Tamir interceptor missile used by the Iron Dome is estimated to cost between $20,000 and $150,000 depending on the source and production batch a 2014 estimate cited $20,000 $50,000 per interceptor while a 2020 analysis suggested a total cost of $100,000 $150,000 per interception accounting for operational expenses in contrast the rockets typically fired by Hamas such as Kasam or Grad rockets cost as little as $800 $3,000 each during Iran’s attack on June 13th 2025 the IDF reported intercepting approximately 50 of the 100 missiles in the first wave using the Iron Dome and other systems assuming a conservative estimate of $50,000 per Tamir interceptor and two interceptors fired per incoming missile a common practice to ensure success the cost of intercepting 50 missiles would be $5 million however this figure is likely an underestimate as it does not account for other systems the Arrow two and Arrow 3 systems used for ballistic missiles are far costlier with each Arrow interceptor priced at approximately $3.5 million david Sling interceptors cost around $1 million each us Navy destroyers fired interceptors during the attack adding to the overall cost borne by Israel’s allies for comparison during Iran’s April 13th 2024 attack which involved 120 ballistic missiles 30 cruise missiles and 170 drones Israel’s defense costs were estimated at $550 million to over $1 billion for a single night iran’s cost for that attack was estimated at $100 $200 million highlighting the economic asymmetry the June 2025 attack though smaller in scale likely incurred costs in the hundreds of millions for Israel given the use of hypersonic missiles and the involvement of multiple defense layers the June 13th 2025 attack demonstrated Iran’s growing missile capabilities and its willingness to directly confront Israel’s air defenses the breach of the Iron Dome and the strike near the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv sent a powerful message both militarily and psychologically israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a response while Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that Iran had crossed red lines the IDF called up reserveists and continued strikes on Iranian targets signaling a potential for further escalation the economic burden of operating the Iron Dome combined with the strategic challenge of countering hypersonic missiles underscores the need for Israel to adapt its defense strategy proposals for cheaper interceptors such as laser-based systems are under consideration but these remain in development for now Iran’s ability to breach Israel’s famed Iron Dome has reshaped the regional security landscape raising questions about the sustainability of Israel’s defensive posture in a prolonged conflict [Music]
On June 13, 2025, Iran launched Operation True Promise III—firing over 100 ballistic and hypersonic missiles at Israel in retaliation for Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. But beyond the explosions, the assault revealed a deeper challenge: economics.
While Iran’s rockets cost as little as $5,000 each, Israel relied on interceptors like Iron Dome’s Tamir missiles—each costing between $20,000 and $150,000. Estimates suggest Israel spent over $100 million in a single night defending against a barrage that cost Iran a fraction of that.
This report breaks down the financial strain of high-tech air defense, the vulnerabilities exposed in Israel’s multilayered shield, and what it means for the future of deterrence in the region.
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