IAF Successfully Fires Arrow 3 Missile, Paving Way for More Advanced Test
Israel successfully tested the Arrow-3 Missile Defense System Monday morning, Defense Ministry said in a statement. The test was conducted at a site in central Israel and was overseen by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in collaboration with the Israel Air Force, the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) and the US Missile Defense Agency.
The Arrow-3 is designed to shoot down ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere.
The test followed several aborted attempts in recent months, most recently in January when the Defense Ministry canceled the test at the last minute following a system malfunction.
The successful test clears the way for Israel to test the system in Kodiak, Alaska, which will mark the first time the anti-ballistic defense missile will be tested outside of the country. Last June, Alaska’s KTOO news website reported that MDA had signed an $80 million umbrella agreement with Alaska Aerospace Corp. to launch missiles from its Kodiak Island facility.
The Arrow-3, developed by and the Israel Air Force, is an interceptor missile designed to intercept long-range, high-altitude, precise ballistic missiles, including projectiles carrying nuclear, chemical or biological warheads. The system was developed by US and Israeli teams including Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael and Seattle, Washington-based Boeing beginning in 2012 and is considered the highest level of Israel’s multi-tiered missile defense apparatus.
