Jerusalem, 8 October, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Defense Ministry has received the first Tamir interceptor for the Iron Dome missile-defense system manufactured and fully assembled in the United States. The milestone was marked at the Raytheon-Rafael Area Protection Systems (R2S) facility in East Camden, Arkansas.
The Camden plant is the first production site outside Israel manufacturing Tamir interceptors for Israel’s Iron Dome system. Rafael and Raytheon established it through their R2S joint venture as part of the strategic U.S.-Israel partnership on missile defense.
The facility will also produce SkyHunter, the American version of Tamir, for the U.S. Marine Corps’ Medium-Range Intercept Capability (MRIC). Iron Dome has achieved more than 10,000 operational interceptions during 15 years of service.
Defense Ministry official Moshe Patel said the new production line will strengthen the two countries’ joint industrial base and accelerate interceptor production.