First Iron Dome Tamir interceptor built entirely in US rolls out of Arkansas plant

A joint venture of Raytheon and Rafael has delivered the first Iron Dome Tamir interceptor built and assembled entirely in the United States, a milestone that moves production of the missile beyond Israel for the first time.

The interceptor was handed over to the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) at the venture’s factory in East Camden, Arkansas. The plant is the first facility outside Israel to manufacture complete Tamir interceptors.

A U.S. production line

The companies established the plant through their Raytheon-Rafael Area Protection Systems (R2S) joint venture to build manufacturing capacity in the United States. The factory expands a partnership that has supported Tamir production for more than a decade under U.S. workshare requirements for Iron Dome.

Rafael said the facility creates American jobs and strengthens the U.S. defense industrial base. IMDO Director Moshe Patel said the production line is part of efforts to accelerate manufacturing across Israel’s missile defense systems.

“As part of IMDO’s efforts to accelerate production across all missile defense systems, this new production line represents a significant step in strengthening the shared production capabilities of Israel and the United States,” Patel said.

He added that U.S. ballistic missile defense funding for cooperative programs with Israel, including emergency supplemental funding, is reinvested in the U.S. industrial base. That strengthens production capacity and deepens ties with the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the U.S. government, he said.

About the Tamir

Tamir serves as Iron Dome’s interceptor. It was developed under IMDO’s leadership, with Rafael as prime contractor. According to Rafael, Iron Dome has recorded more than 10,000 operational interceptions in 15 years of service.

IMDO is responsible for the Israeli Air Force’s air and missile defense architecture and works with the MDA on cooperative programs. Together with the agency and defense companies in both countries, it leads the development and co-production of David’s Sling and Arrow, and the co-production of Iron Dome.

Rafael: “A working production line”

Shlomo Toaff, Rafael’s executive vice president and head of its Air and Missile Defense Division, said the delivery marks a first.

“Today, for the first time, Tamir is being built outside Israel, here in Camden,” Toaff said. “We are proud to have turned this facility into a working production line.”

Toaff said that for customers who depend on Tamir, the plant offers another reliable source. For the U.S. Marine Corps, he said, it supports SkyHunter.

The delivery shows how U.S. workshare requirements have shaped the Iron Dome program for more than a decade, and the Arkansas plant extends that arrangement to full interceptor production. U.S. funding flows into American industry, while the line adds a supply option for Tamir customers.

Ceremony attendees

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders attended the ceremony alongside Maj. Gen. Jason D. Cothern, the MDA’s deputy director and acting director for test. Israeli military and diplomatic officials, Patel, Toaff and R2S CEO Jonathan Casey also attended.