Israel tested its Arrow3 missile defense system this week in what was described as a breakthrough for its ability to intercept ballistic missiles outside the earth’s atmosphere. Israeli defense officials used such superlatives as “unprecedented” to describe the achievement, saying it was indicative of “Israel’s technological superiority” and underscoring the system’s innovative capabilities in confronting an array of threats, among them nonconventional ones, before they penetrate the atmosphere.
The experiment was led by the Israel Missile Defense Organization in conjunction with the US Missile Defense Agency and Israeli defense industries. According to the Defense Ministry’s official statement, the test involved detection of an incoming target by the Arrow’s radar, relay of the data to the system’s Shooting Management Center, analysis of the information and preparation of an interception plan, and the launch of two Arrow3 interceptors, each with a different mission, which destroyed the target.
