The United States Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) of the Directorate of the Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) at Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced a successful test of the Arrow-3 missile defense system according to a statement posted Tuesday on the MDA’s website.
The test was conducted in central Israel.
“Once the target was launched, the Arrow Weapon System radars detected it and transferred the data to the Battle Management Control (BMC) which then established a defense plan,” the statement reported. “At the right moment, the Arrow-3 interceptor was launched toward the target and successfully completed its mission.”
“This successful test provides confidence in Israel’s capability to protect itself from existing threats in the region,” MDA Director Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves said. “My congratulations to the Israel Missile Defense Organization, the Israeli Air Force, our MDA team, and our industry partners. We are committed to assisting the government of Israel in upgrading its national missile defense capability against emerging threats.”
The Arrow-3 is part of Israel’s multi-tiered air defense system to counter different threats, including defending itself against short-range, mid-range and long-range missiles that can be fired from Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, and even Iran. Among the components of Israel’s air-defense system are Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow-2, and Arrow-3. Arrow-3 is designed to defend against missiles in space.
Each component of Israel’s air defense system is produced with significant help from the U.S.
Israel’s missile defense systems are all heavily funded by the U.S. In exchange, U.S. companies get a share of the work in developing the systems.
“In accordance with congressional mandates and our government-to-government agreements, each one of these [intercepting systems] is being produced at least 50 percent in the United States,” Moshe Patel, director of the Defense Ministry’s IMDO, explained to Defense News in August 2017.
Arrow-3 has been developed jointly between Israel Aerospace Industries and Boeing.
“Significant parts of this high-performance missile designed to intercept targets deep into space are being produced in the United States. More than 20 states are involved in the production of Arrow-3,” Boaz Levy, IAI’s executive vice president, told Defense News.
[Photo: U.S. Missile Defense Agency / Flickr ]