American senators call for Iron Dome battery to Ukraine

This is stated in a letter to the Senate Committee on the Armed Forces of the United States.

"While the United States has transferred equipment and munitions for Patriot and HAWK air-defense systems, there is more we can and should provide," the senators said in the letter.

Lawmakers mention the readiness of one of the two American Iron Dome batteries for deployment and the uncertainty regarding the offer of such systems to Ukraine.

"As we write, Russia’s indiscriminate bombardment of Ukraine’s sovereign territory continues, including in civilian areas. Following the destruction of the dam near Kherson, the Kremlin’s continued shelling forced Ukrainian officials to suspend rescue efforts aimed at evacuating residents inundated by catastrophic flooding. And on June 13, a Russian barrage struck an apartment building in Kryvyi Rih, killing nearly a dozen people and injuring many more. Each Iron Dome battery can protect an area of approximately 150 square kilometers. We can save more Ukrainian lives today if we transfer those batteries. However, due to serious concerns, the Government of Israel has blocked the United States from transferring these batteries," they write.

It is reported that the system of the Israeli company Rafael in partnership with the American Raytheon is an effective means of destroying short-range missiles. However, it was not created to counter cruise missiles and does not meet the needs of the American army, but is very necessary for Ukraine.

"To be clear, we are not asking Israel to transfer its own Iron Dome systems which are critical to their own security, but simply to allow the United States to transfer our own batteries to help the people of Ukraine. If not practicable to transfer these assets to Ukraine, we ask that you look at other ways to assist, including moving them to another United States ally under the control and supervision of our own forces, thus freeing up other United States air defense assets to be transferred to bolster Ukraine’s air defense needs and save more Ukrainian lives," the statement said. 

• Earlier, it was noted that the Iron Dome anti-missile defense works against unguided rockets and missiles with a range of 4 to 70 km, and these capabilities have recently been expanded.

• The Ukrainian military noted that the air defense system of Ukraine in the rear cities has an efficiency of 70-80%. This is higher than that of the Israeli Iron Dome system.