Israel and the United States test the Arrow-3 anti-ballistic missile system

Israel and the United States have successfully completed a flight test of the Arrow-3 ballistic missile interceptor, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday.

At a test site in central Israel, the ballistic missile interceptor detected and destroyed a target in space, the ministry said in a statement.

Director of the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA), Jon Hill, said the test was designed to “challenge every element of the Arrow weapon system, and it worked like a charm.” Hill added that the MDA remained committed to helping Israel improve its missile defense capability.

The Arrow 3 weapon system, a more advanced model of the Arrow and Arrow 2 models, was declared operational in January 2017. The air defense system, developed under a joint project with the United States, is designed to shoot down ballistic missiles – like those of Israel. fears that Iran will one day launch there – while the incoming projectile is still outside the Earth’s atmosphere. It is part of Israel’s multi-layered defense system, which includes Iron Dome, a system aimed at intercepting short-range rockets from Gaza, David’s Sling, a medium- and long-range missile defense system, and the Arrow-3 long range.

In 2021, Israel said it was developing a new ballistic shield system, dubbed Arrow-4, jointly with the United States.