The US Marine Corps is buying three batteries of Iron Dome air defence systems with 44 launchers and 1,840 Tamir missile interceptors

The US Marine Corps plans to buy three batteries of Iron Dome air defence systems and nearly 2,000 Tamir missile interceptors. The service's plan was published on the government's website.

Here's What We Know

The contract will be signed with RTX (formerly Raytheon), which partners with Israeli state defence company Rafael. A significant portion of the weapons will be manufactured in the US.

The US Marine Corps order includes three batteries of air defence systems with 44 launchers. The service will also order 1,840 Tamir missile interceptors. The contract amount is not specified, but the missiles alone could cost several hundred million dollars.

According to public sources, the cost per Tamir interceptor ranges from $40,000 to $100,000. This is very cheap when compared to any anti-aircraft missile, including those developed based on the need to minimise costs.

The Tamir is 3 metres long and 160 mm in diameter. The mass of the anti-missile is 90kg. According to the Israeli manufacturer, the interceptor in the Iron Dome system can shoot down aerial threats at altitudes of up to 10 kilometres.

Source: SAM