Missile defenseIsrael to test advanced Arrow 3 anti-missile missile
The official in charge of developing Israel’s missile defense system said yesterday that in the coming days Israel would conduct a test of the advanced Arrow 3 missile; the Arrow 3 has been developed to shoot down Iranian ballistic missiles on their way to Israel; the Arrow 3 has been designed to intercept missiles carrying nuclear warheads – and intercept them outside the atmosphere
Schematic of Israel's Arrow 3 anti missile system // Source: altahreernews.com
The official in charge of developing Israel’s missile defense system said yesterday that in the coming days Israel would conduct a test of the advanced Arrow 3 missile. The Arrow 3 has been developed to shoot down Iranian ballistic missiles on their way to Israel.
The official, Yair Ramati, said the test would concentrate on launching the defensive missile, rather than on intercepting an enemy missile.
Haaretz reports that Israel has significantly accelerated the development of the Arrow 3 (also known as Bnei Reshef), and that the Ministry of Defense expects the system to be operational in three years. In a talk at Israel’s National Security College, Ramati defined the Arrow 3 as a “missile for defense against ballistic missiles from Iran carrying mass destruction warheads.”
The Arrow 3 is an upgrade of the existing Arrow system. The advanced system is lighter and is capable of operating at longer distances. The system can operate outside the atmosphere, aiming to destroy enemy missiles or warheads before they re-enter the atmosphere on their way to their targets.
Intelligence sources estimate that Iran has a few hundreds advanced Shihab 3 missile with a range of about 2,500 hundred miles.
Israel has also been improving the Arrow 2 system, which aims to shoot down mid-range missiles and rockets, like the ones Hezbollah has in its arsenal. Since the summer 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel,, the Lebanese Shi’a organization has been receiving massive quantities of advanced weaponry from Iran and Syria, and now has more than 60,000 rockets in its possession, of which about 5,000 can reach Tel Aviv.
The Obama administration has collaborated closely with Israel on developing the various components of Israel’s missile defense system. Some of the technology used in the system – and most of the financing – come from the United States. In February, Israel, in collaboration with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, conducted a successful test of the Arrow 2 missile off the coast of California. The test saw the Arrow 2 identify and destroy a missile launched from a U.S. Navy ship.
