Iran's attack on Israel: US Navy involved in defence

An update of the information from the "Military Times" dated 17 April 2024 is attached below.

During the massive Iranian attack by Israel on the night of 13 to 14 April 2024 with around 170 drones, 120 ballistic missiles and 30 cruise missiles - of which only a few ballistic missiles (around 10) even reached Israeli territory - it was not only the Iron Dome air defence system that proved its extremely high level of effectiveness. Allies and neighbouring states have also intervened to support the fight. These included the two US destroyers Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) and Carney (DDG 64), which operated long-range ballistic missile defence (BMD) in the eastern Mediterranean.

Launch of a Standard Missile-3 from aboard a Ticonderoga cruiser. Photo: US Navy

As one of the US reinforcements for Operation Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea, the Carney had already been successfully combating dozens of drones and missiles fired by Houthi militias against civilian shipping for a month. With the type ship of this destroyer class, it is one of the first and oldest units, but after being refitted and upgraded with state-of-the-art BMD capability, it is one of the US Navy's most suitable units for this complex task. The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System programme includes the modernisation of the AEGIS combat system and the integration of the SM-3, SM-2ER Block IV and SM-6 interceptor missiles as well as the RIM-116 SeaRAM short-range defence system and the AN/SLQ-32(V)6 electronic warfare suite. In this case, it will probably have been the Standard Missile-3, which was able to intercept between four and six ballistic missiles from Iranian areas in very high airspace. Although the SM-6s are also capable of destroying ballistic and hypersonic missiles, they can only do this in the final approach stage.

The defence against high-flying ballistic missiles for national and alliance defence (ballistic missile defence) - mobile and deployable over a wide area - carried out from the sea in a live attack scenario - has this even been perceived as such in Berlin and Brussels?

Update 22 April 2024

As the news portal "Military Times" (Arlington/VA, USA) reported on 17 April, US forces and allies destroyed around 80 combat drones (UCAV) and at least six ballistic missilesto attack Israel from Iran and Yemen. This also included a ballistic missile on its launch vehicle and Seven UCAVs on the ground in the Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The 494th and 335th Fighter Squadrons with F-15E Strike Eagles were deployed to defend against the UCAV attack. The destroyers USS Carney and USS Arleigh Burke launched several ballistic missiles during the attack. US troops from a Patriot missile defence system in Irbil/Iraq had shot down another weapon (presumably a ballistic missile).

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