Israel and the United States successfully tested the Arrow 2 anti-missile system today. According to a Defense Ministry statement, “an Arrow 2 missile was launched and performed its flight sequence as planned. The results are being analyzed by program engineers.”
Defense Ministry spokesperson Jonathan Mosery said that the Arrow 2 system, which has been operational for years and is intended for use against long-range threats, “like Iron Dome, undergoes ongoing improvements” to software and hardware and other components. …
The Arrow 2 was rolled out in March 2000. “This is a great day for the Air Defense Forces, for the Air Force, the defense establishment and, I would say, for the State of Israel,” Maj. Gen. Eitan Ben Eliyahu said at the time.
The Arrow 2 and Iron Dome systems are Israel’s two operational anti-missile systems. Iron Dome is designed to intercept medium-range rockets while the Arrow systems are designed to counter long-range missiles.
The Times also notes that “Israel is in the process of developing a five-tiered system of air defense, offering protection against projectiles ranging from mortars to ballistic weapons.” The three systems currently being developed include the Arrow 3, David’s Sling and Iron Beam, which are estimated to be two years away from becoming operational.
[Photo: US NAVY / WikiCommons ]