Israel, US reveal cooperation on Arrow 4 ballistic missile interceptor
The Arrow 4 is set to replace the high-altitude Arrow 2 in the coming decades.
Israel and the United States have begun work on a new ballistic missile defense interceptor, the Arrow 4, amid heightened tensions in recent years over Iran’s increased missile capabilities.
The Arrow 4 will be the latest of the two country’s jointly developed ballistic missile interceptors, and is set to replace Arrow 2 in the coming decades, the US Missile Defense Agency announced Thursday. Meanwhile, the Arrow 3 will remain Israel’s highest-altitude interceptor, designed to knock down missiles beyond earth’s atmosphere in space.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said in a statement that the Arrow 4’s development “will result in a technological and operational leap forward, preparing us for the future battlefield and evolving threats in the Middle East and beyond.”
Moshe Patel, the director of the Israeli Missile Defense Organization, said in a statement that cooperation on the new project begins 30 years after Saddam Hussein’s government in Iraq fired dozens of Scud missiles at Israel amid the Gulf War, prompting Israel to establish the organization.
