Israel’s Newest Missile Interceptor Undergoes Live Trial

July 26th, 2011 MDAA - SOURCE: Xinhua

Israel recently completed a launch test of its Arrow 3 missile, a locally-developed system designed to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles high in the atmosphere, local media said on Monday.

Scant details of the test were revealed at a missile defense conference near Tel Aviv.

Held in an undisclosed location in Israel, an Arrow 3 interceptor missile was launched against an incoming projectile, successfully destroying it after a few hundred meters flight, according to the Mako/Channel Two television news site.

A source told Xinhua the trial did not involve firing the missile in its full capacity, but rather aimed to only test its proper separation from the launch container.

Developed by the state-run Israel Aerospace Industries, Arrow 3 is slated to be Israel’s next-generation missile interceptor, built to collide “metal-to-metal” with long-range ballistic missiles armed before they re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere.

Its forte lies in a sensor integrated into its propulsion system that enables it to bypass non-threatening objects in space and knock out an enemy missile with pinpoint accuracy.

A full-scale model was put on display for the first time in November 2010 at an aerospace conference in Jerusalem.

The system, whose development is being underwritten by the United States, is expected to become fully operational by 2015, project director Yoav Turgeman said at the conference.

The Israel Air Force has been operating several batteries of the earlier Arrow 2 for well over a decade from a base north of Tel Aviv.

Once operational, Arrow 3 would become the upper tier of the Israeli military’s multi-tiered active air defense (MTAD) concept, which aims to provide a comprehensive shield against a multitude of rocket and missile threats.

In January, Israel and the U.S. military will hold a joint large-scale drill, dubbed “Juniper Cobra,” that will integrate all the systems that comprise MTAD, including Arrow, Patriot, Magic Wand and Iron Dome, according to Monday’s report.

During a major escalation of violence along the Israeli-Gaza border in April, Iron Dome shot down eight short-range rockets fired by militants into Israel.

Similar joint drills have been held in recent years. However, the Americans plan to bring with them Patriot batteries and radars this time around, and will deploy them throughout Israel. A U.S. Navy ship armed with counter-missile systems is also planned to participate, according to local media.

The Israeli conference on Monday hosted a senior U.S. defense official who said that the Obama administration is “deeply committed to continuing the cooperation in the field of missile defense,” according to the report.

Frank Rose, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Space and Defense Policy, was quoted as saying that the U.S. is also cooperating with Russia for the first time in order to build a joint defense system for deployment in Europe.