The Israel’s Defense Ministry and the US Missile Defense Agency successfully intercept target launched from Palmachim Air Base early Tuesday, the Israel’s Defense Ministry said. The Arrow 3 is meant to intercept ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere. The test was carried out at 6:44 A.M. in central Israel, and was led by Israel Aerospace Industries with participation of the Israel Air Force.
Shortly before 6:45 a.m., a dummy missile was launched off the coast of Israel that was meant to simulate the type of long-range ballistic missile the Arrow 3 system is designed to intercept.. The radar identified the target and passed the data on to the control center. There the data was analyzed and a flight plan was programmed. When the program was complete, the Arrow 3 was launched toward the target and “completed its mission successfully.”
The Arrow 3 system, a more advanced model of the Arrow and Arrow 2 models, was declared operational in January 2017. Today the Israeli army uses the Arrow 2, which has been operational for a few of years. The new system currently in testing will likely grant the army an ability to deal with more complex scenarios. The air defense system, developed as a joint project with the US, is designed to shoot down ballistic missiles — like those Israel fears Iran may one day launch at it — while the incoming projectile is still outside the earth’s atmosphere.
The test comes a day after Israel attacked Iranian targets Sunday night in Syria hours after its Iron Dome system intercepted a missile launched from Syria following a strike on an airport south of Damascus on Sunday, which was attributed to Israel. Four Syrian soldiers were killed and six were wounded in the attack, adding that Syrian military air defenses destroyed more than 30 cruise missiles and guided bombs during the air strikes. 11 were killed in the strike, only two of whom were Syrian.
