Australia is weighing a U.S. adaptation of Israel’s Iron Dome to defend military bases against cruise missiles and drones, The Australian reported that Defence has requested prices and delivery schedules for the U.S. Marine Corps’ Medium Range Intercept Capability (MRIC), Patriot and a land-based Aegis configuration under Project LAND 6504.The program could be worth A$10 billion (about US$7 billion). NASAMS, South Korea’s L-SAM and Rafael are also potential contenders.Timeline and requirementsAn Oct. 13 tender targets selection by December 2027, live firing during Talisman Sabre 2029, initial capability in the early 2030s and full capability by the mid-2030s. LAND 6504 replaces a 2021 initiative delayed by budget constraints; by April 2026, Australia had approved only A$210 million, or 2.1% of the ceiling.Whatever system is chosen must work with radars from Australia’s CEA Technologies, which means compatible target-tracking, engagement-calculation, launch-authorization and guidance interfaces. Lockheed Martin showed one approach in June 2026 by firing an SM-2 missile from a trailer launcher using Aegis and a CEA radar.How MRIC is builtMRIC pairs the U.S. AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR radar and the Common Aviation Command and Control System with Iron Dome-derived launchers, each loaded with 20 SkyHunter missiles. Its nominal engagement envelope runs from 2.5 to 43.5 miles (4 to 70 kilometers).SkyHunter shares 95% to 99% design commonality with Rafael’s Tamir interceptor. It is about 10 feet (3 meters) long, 6.3 inches (160 millimeters) in diameter and weighs about 198 pounds (90 kilograms). It reaches Mach 2.2, roughly 1,690 mph (755 meters per second), and uses electro-optical sensors, steering fins and a proximity-fuzed fragmentation warhead.Each launcher holds 20 missiles, so four launchers give 80 ready rounds, eight give 160 and 16 give 320. The U.S. Marine Corps plans three batteries with 44 launchers and 1,840 missiles.Appeal and limitsThe draw is cost. Estimated Tamir and SkyHunter prices run about US$180,000 to US$314,000 per missile, compared with US$4 million for certain Patriot interceptors, though those figures are not standardized procurement prices.But SkyHunter is not an established interceptor against high-speed medium- or intermediate-range ballistic missiles, such as those fired from Iran, which fly higher and faster than its envelope. LAND 6504 must address terminal-phase ballistic missiles and subsonic air-breathing threats, so MRIC would need a partner system such as Patriot, with coordinated tracking and engagement control.Magazine depth is another limit. At two interceptors per target, four launchers support 40 theoretical engagements, and an attack of 24 cruise missiles and 16 drones would use all 80 missiles. Iron Dome’s footprint, about 39 to 58 square miles (100 to 150 square kilometers) per battery, also cannot simultaneously cover bases more than 100 miles apart.Testing and integrationMRIC completed live-fire validation with III Marine Expeditionary Force during Valiant Shield on Guam on June 30, 2026, and has deployed with Marines in Okinawa.The U.S. Army bought two Iron Dome batteries for US$373 million but dropped further purchases after trouble integrating them with its Integrated Battle Command System. That integration risk is relevant to Australia’s CEA radar requirement.Australia currently relies on a NASAMS-equipped regiment for Army ground-based air defense, leaving gaps in ballistic missile interception and geographic coverage. The decisive variables remain how many batteries Australia buys, which ballistic threats they can defeat and how many interceptors are available for repeated attacks.