Air Defense

Tamir interceptor

Also known as
  • Tamir missile
  • Iron Dome interceptor
  • Iron Dome Tamir missile
  • SkyHunter missile

The Tamir interceptor is the missile fired by Iron Dome batteries to defeat short-range rockets, UAVs, and similar threats. Open sources describe it as a compact, command-guided, active-radar interceptor with a blast-fragmentation warhead; CSIS ties Tamir expenditure to the 2021 Israel-Palestine Crisis, and Raytheon markets the U.S.-producible SkyHunter version with Rafael.

Tamir interceptor, Short-range surface-to-air interceptor missile, Air Defense
Image source: Wikimedia Commons Operation Breaking Dawn IX

Role in Conflicts

2014 Gaza War
Air DefenseForce Protection
Side
Israel

Fired by Israel's Iron Dome batteries during the 2014 Gaza War; CSIS says nine batteries were active at the start of the conflict and that 735 incoming rockets were successfully shot down.

Profile / Specs

Specifications

Length
3 m
Diameter
0.16 m
Weight at launch
90 kg
Range
4-70 km
Guidance
Datalink mid-course updates with active radar seeker terminal homing
Propulsion
Solid rocket motor
Warhead
Proximity-fuzed blast warhead
Launcher load
Up to 20 interceptors per launcher
Variants

Open sources use Tamir for the Iron Dome interceptor missile and describe related export or naval configurations under separate program names.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
SkyHunterU.S.-producible version

RTX says Raytheon and Rafael debuted SkyHunter as a version based on Iron Dome that can be produced in the United States for the U.S. and allied customers.

Sources: RTX Iron Dome System and SkyHunter Missile

C-Dome interceptor configurationNaval Iron Dome family use

Rafael describes C-Dome as the naval configuration of the Iron Dome family for shipboard air defense.

Sources: Rafael C-Dome

Launch Platforms

Tamir is the interceptor missile used by Iron Dome batteries.

LauncherLauncher typeLaunch evidence
Iron Dome air-defense system, Mobile short-range air-defense system, Air DefenseIron Dome air-defense systemMobile air-defense system

CSIS describes Iron Dome as a battery of launchers, radar, and battle-management gear built around the Tamir interceptor, and Rafael identifies Tamir as Iron Dome's interceptor missile.

Sources: Iron Dome (Israel), Rafael Iron Dome

Designation And Integration Notes

Tamir is best read as the interceptor inside a wider Iron Dome family rather than as a standalone launcher system. The missile appears in Israeli Iron Dome service, U.S. SkyHunter marketing, Marine Corps MRIC testing, and Rafael's naval Iron Dome family terminology.

ContextReader takeawaySource
Cost and magazine depthCSIS gives Tamir unit-cost estimates of roughly US$40,000 to US$50,000 and says each Iron Dome launcher can carry up to 20 interceptors.Iron Dome (Israel)
U.S. production laneRTX describes SkyHunter as a Raytheon-Rafael system based on Iron Dome and intended for production in the United States.RTX Iron Dome System and SkyHunter Missile
Marine Corps MRICMarine Corps Systems Command reported that the MRIC prototype used Tamir missiles to hit several simultaneously launched cruise-missile representative targets at White Sands on June 30, 2022.Marine Corps successfully tests Medium Range Intercept Capability prototype
Timeline

Tamir interceptor Key Events

  1. Iron Dome development begins

    CSIS says Israel began developing Iron Dome in 2007, establishing the program that produced the Tamir interceptor.

    Sources: Iron Dome (Israel)

  2. First operational deployment

    CSIS says Iron Dome completed final tests in 2010 and deployed its first units in 2011.

    Sources: Iron Dome (Israel)

  3. Marine Corps MRIC prototype test

    Marine Corps Systems Command said the MRIC prototype hit several simultaneously-launched cruise-missile representative targets at White Sands using Tamir missiles.

    Sources: Marine Corps successfully tests Medium Range Intercept Capability prototype

Media

Tamir interceptor Images

Tamir interceptor, Short-range surface-to-air interceptor missile, Air Defense - view 1
Source: Wikimedia Commons IDF Iron Dome 2021
Related Weapon Systems
Iron Dome air-defense system, Mobile short-range air-defense system, Air DefenseAir DefenseIron Dome air-defense systemMobile short-range air-defense systemIron Dome is an Israeli mobile short-range air-defense system built by Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries to detect, track, and intercept rockets, artillery threats, and some UAVs before they hit populated areas. Known in Hebrew as Kippat Barzel, it became operational in 2011 and has documented combat use from the 2012 Gaza-Israel Conflict through later Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran-related fighting, including the April 2024 Iran-Israel exchange.
Stunner interceptor, Missile interceptor, Air DefenseAir DefenseStunner interceptorMissile interceptorThe Stunner interceptor is the two-stage hit-to-kill missile fired by David's Sling, Israel's mid-tier air and missile-defense layer co-developed by Rafael and Raytheon. CSIS describes the missile as using radar datalink updates and onboard terminal seekers, while RTX markets SkyCeptor as a Stunner-family variant for short- to medium-range missile-defense threats. Source-backed operational use is documented in Gaza-related interceptions and the post-October 2023 Israel-Hezbollah fighting.
SPIKE anti-tank guided-missile family, Anti-tank guided missile family, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsSPIKE anti-tank guided-missile familyAnti-tank guided missile familyRafael's SPIKE family is a combat-proven electro-optical guided-missile line whose long-range NLOS branch is also known as Tamuz in Israeli service and Exactor in British service. The family spans infantry, vehicle, aircraft, and naval launchers, from compact short-range variants to Spike NLOS, which reaches 32 km from land or 50 km from the air and has documented use by Israeli, British, Azerbaijani, and U.S. forces.
Python-5 air-to-air missile, Fifth-generation dual-use air-to-air and air-defense missile, MunitionsMunitionsPython-5 air-to-air missileFifth-generation dual-use air-to-air and air-defense missilePython-5 is Rafael's fifth-generation dual-use air-to-air and air-defense missile, built around a dual-waveband imaging infrared seeker, lock-on-before-launch and lock-on-after-launch modes, and a full-sphere launch envelope. Public sources document Israeli F-16 use against Hezbollah UAVs in 2006 and Gaza-launched drones in 2021, while SPYDER batteries use Python-5 as the infrared-imaging interceptor alongside Derby-family radar-guided missiles.

Sources

Iron Dome (Israel)Publisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports Tamir's development history, specifications, launcher load, guidance, warhead, and cost estimates; directly supports 2014 Gaza War use by describing Iron Dome intercept activity in that conflict and 2021 Israel-Palestine Crisis use by describing Tamir interceptors expended in that fighting. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Marine Corps successfully tests Medium Range Intercept Capability prototypePublisher: Marine Corps Systems Command | Note: Supports the June 30, 2022 MRIC live-fire test and Tamir missile use in that prototype event. | Accessed: 2026-06-27Rafael Iron DomePublisher: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems | Note: Supports Tamir's manufacturer background, its role as Iron Dome's interceptor, and general system context. | Accessed: 2026-07-01RTX Iron Dome System and SkyHunter MissilePublisher: RTX | Note: Supports Tamir range, sensor, warhead, U.S. component sourcing, and SkyHunter as the Raytheon-Rafael U.S.-producible version based on Iron Dome. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Rafael C-DomePublisher: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems | Note: Supports C-Dome as the naval configuration of the Iron Dome family for shipboard air defense. | Accessed: 2026-07-01IDF Real-Time UpdatesPublisher: Israel Defense Forces | Note: 2023 Israel-Hamas War: IDF says Iron Dome successfully intercepted a suspicious aerial target that crossed from Gaza into Israeli territory. | Accessed: 2026-06-20ReutersConnect Iron Dome intercepts rockets from GazaPublisher: Reuters | Note: 2023 Israel-Hamas War: Iron Dome was seen intercepting rockets launched from the Gaza Strip near Ashkelon on October 8, 2023. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Wikimedia Commons Operation Breaking Dawn IXPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image licensing and provenance page for an IDF-released Tamir interceptor launch photo under CC BY-SA 3.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Wikimedia Commons IDF Iron Dome 2021Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image licensing and provenance page for an IDF-released Iron Dome launch photo showing a Tamir interceptor under CC BY-SA 3.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20