Israel’s Missile Defense Organization and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems have delivered the first batch of Tamir interceptors for the US Marine Corps’ Medium-Range Intercept Capability (MRIC) program.
The initial delivery supports the first operational deployment of an MRIC platoon, marking the service’s first medium-range air defense capability since the divestment of the HAWK system in the late 1990s.
“The delivery represents the first supply under a multi-year program, after a series of successful evaluations and operational assessments,” Rafael Advanced Defense Systems stated in a press release.
Medium-Range Intercept Capability
MRIC integrates the combat-proven Iron Dome system and its Tamir interceptor into a mobile air and missile defense architecture tailored to the US Marine Corps’ requirements for forward-deployed forces.
Designed to defend fixed and semi-fixed sites, the trailer-mounted system can detect, assess, and intercept a range of threats, including cruise missiles, rockets, artillery, mortars, and drones.
It is paired with the AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar and the Common Aviation Command and Control System.
The US Marine Corps approved the system for development following three live tests in 2022, with fielding starting in 2025. The service aims to equip three Marine Air Wings, each with an MRIC battery, by the end of 2028.
Tamir
Developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the Tamir surface-to-air missile serves as the primary interceptor for Iron Dome, Israel’s mobile air defense shield.
An MRIC launcher can carry up to 20 Tamir interceptors, each equipped with electro-optical sensors, a two-way data link for updated targeting information, and a fragmentation blast warhead with a proximity fuse. The missile has a range of 2.5 to 43 miles (4 to 70 kilometers).
In 2024, Raytheon and Rafael launched joint venture R2S to build a Tamir missile manufacturing facility in East Camden, Arkansas, to support US and Israeli requirements.
The facility was completed in November 2025 and received its first order — worth $1.25 billion — to supply Israel with Tamir missiles.
