Israeli Air Defense Command

The Israeli Air Defense Command is the Israel Defense Forces unit responsible for the surface front of Israel's air defense, complementing the air defense provided by Israeli Air Force squadrons. Initially a part of the IDF Artillery Corps, since 1970 the Air Defense Command has been subordinate to the Israeli Air Force.

History
During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Air Defense Network was part of the Artillery Corps, primarily relying on machine guns. During the 1960s, 40mm radar-guided anti-aircraft guns were introduced, and in 1965, MIM-23 Hawk Surface-to-air missiles. The latter were absorbed in the Air Force's surface-to-air units. In the 1970s, the entire Air Defense Network was merged with the Air Force.



Weapons and equipment

 * MIM-23 Hawk, a medium range radar guided surface-to-air missile and longest serving system, it is also the network's most victorious. The current model is an "improved" version featuring Raytheon's PIP3#
 * MIM-104 Patriot, a High to Medium Air Defense (HIMAD) medium tactical air defense platform capable of downing ballistic missiles
 * Arrow missile, an Israeli-US developed theatre missile defence (TMD) system meant to stop ballistic missiles in the stratosphere
 * Iron Dome, a short range air defense system designed to defend against rockets and artillery shells. The first battery became operational in May 2010

Organization
Although it is part of the Air Force, the command is organizationally structured in a way similar to the Artillery Corps. The current commander is Brigadier-General Shahar Sochat (replacing Doron Gavish), who is directly subordinate to the commander of the Air Force.