Jerusalem, 18 January, 2022 (TPS) — Israel conducted on Tuesday morning a successful test on the Arrow 3 defense system, the Ministry of Defense announced.
The Arrow system is meant to intercept long-range missiles. The Arrow 3 provides outer-atmospheric interception of ballistic missiles, supplementing the Arrow 2 defensive system.
The Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure, together with the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the IDF, stated they completed a successful experiment in the Arrow and Interceptor weapon system, performed from an experimental field in the center of the country, led by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
In the test, the Arrow system’s operational radar array detected the target and passed its data to the firing management center, which analyzed the data and made a full interception plan. Upon completion of the design, two Arrow 3 interceptors were launched at the target and intercepted it, successfully completing their mission.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz welcomed “the successful and unprecedented experiment that points to Israel’s technological superiority, led by the defense establishment and the defense industries.”
“Step by step, development by development, we are maintaining Israel’s ability to defend itself against emerging threats in the region, thus enabling Israel the offensive freedom of action against our enemies, with the understanding that the best defense allows the most effective attack,” he said.
Vice Admiral Jon Hill, Director of the Missile Defense Agency, stated that “this experiment was designed to challenge all components of the Arrow weapon system and the execution was excellent. The extensive information gathered in the experiment will guide and assist in its future developments. The MDA will continue to be committed to assisting the State of Israel in upgrading its missile defense capabilities against existing and emerging threats in the arena.”
IDF Chief of Staff, Major General Aviv Kochavi said that “the IDF and the defense establishment see great importance in constantly upgrading and improving air defense capabilities. The successful combination of air defense troops and advanced Israeli technology in blue and white brings one of the best multilayer defense capabilities in the world.”
The Arrow defense system is a key component of Israel’s multi-layered rocket and missile defense system.
It consists of a powerful radar detection system, the Green Pine or Mighty Pine, and the Arrow 2 or Arrow 3 interceptors.
Arrow 2, which has been operational since 2000, serves as a protective layer intercepting incoming threats at the edge of the atmosphere, and the Arrow 3, which was delivered for operational use in 2017, is an exo-atmospheric interceptor that constitutes the top protective layer, at enormous heights and distances from the State of Israel.
The two interceptors have undergone a series of improvements in recent years and have demonstrated high operational capabilities in a series of successful interception experiments in Israel and Alaska.
Israel’s other defense layers include David’s Sling, designed to intercept mid-to-long-range ballistic missiles with ranges between 25-190 miles, and the Iron Dome defense system, which intercepts short-range targets and drones.