“The Army appears to be keeping it accessible should the need arise in the US Indo Pacific region… but there's a larger question about what really is going to be the future of these Iron Dome batteries,” said Tom Karako, a missile defense expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Despite the multi-month launcher delivery delay, the Army said its testing plan is on track and during this phase it will ensure the AIM-9X Sidewinder missile can be launched from the ground.