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Defense Ministry says it is analyzing data after activating advanced Arrow 3 system to shoot down rocket outside of atmosphere
Israel and the United States launched the Arrow 3 interceptor on Thursday morning to test the advanced anti-ballistic missile system’s capabilities, the Defense Ministry announced.
The ministry did not say if the attempt to shoot down an incoming missile had been successful, though a statement said more information would become available later.
“Information collected during the test is being analyzed by program personnel,” the ministry said in a statement.
A second statement confirmed the attempt as an “engagement test.”
The test would be a milestone for the advanced anti-ballistic missile interceptor, a major part of Israel’s air defense array.
The Arrow 3 is designed to strike targets outside the atmosphere, intercepting missiles closer to their launch sites.
The Arrow 3 was launched from the Palmachim air base in central Israel at an incoming missile fired by an air force jet toward the waters off Israel’s coast.
Similar tests have sometimes caught Israelis off guard and caused minor panics in the urban center of the country.
The Arrow 3, which Israel has been developing with the United States since 2008, is part of the multi-layered system Israel designed to protect itself against a range of missile threats — from short-range rockets fired from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, to longer-range threats like a missile launch from Iran.
Israel and the United States launched the Arrow 3 interceptor on Thursday morning to test the advanced anti-ballistic missile system’s capabilities, the Defense Ministry announced.
The ministry did not say if the attempt to shoot down an incoming missile had been successful, though a statement said more information would become available later.
“Information collected during the test is being analyzed by program personnel,” the ministry said in a statement.
A second statement confirmed the attempt as an “engagement test.”
The test would be a milestone for the advanced anti-ballistic missile interceptor, a major part of Israel’s air defense array.
The Arrow 3 is designed to strike targets outside the atmosphere, intercepting missiles closer to their launch sites.
The Arrow 3 was launched from the Palmachim air base in central Israel at an incoming missile fired by an air force jet toward the waters off Israel’s coast.
Similar tests have sometimes caught Israelis off guard and caused minor panics in the urban center of the country.
The Arrow 3, which Israel has been developing with the United States since 2008, is part of the multi-layered system Israel designed to protect itself against a range of missile threats — from short-range rockets fired from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, to longer-range threats like a missile launch from Iran.
previous test video
The missile interceptors are designed to intercept more than five ballistic missiles within 30 seconds at altitudes of over 100 km (62 miles).
High-altitude interceptions are meant to safely destroy an incoming nuclear, biological or chemical warhead, before its target or trajectory is identified.
The Arrow 3 is being developed by the Israel Missile Defense Organization from the Defense Ministry’s research and development directorate and the US Missile Defense Agency.
A similar attempt to shoot down an incoming target conducted a year ago failed, with the test being changed at the last minute from a real-world “engagement test,” in which the system would attempt to shoot down an incoming missile, to a far less dramatic target-tracking exercise.
“The target scene was not satisfactory to meet test objectives and therefore an interceptor was not launched. A decision was made to conduct a target test only,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement following the failed test last year.
A test of the system’s earlier version, the Arrow 2, also failed to lock on to its target during a September 2014 trial.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report
Israel and the United States launched the Arrow 3 interceptor on Thursday morning to test the advanced anti-ballistic missile system’s capabilities, the Defense Ministry announced.
The ministry did not say if the attempt to shoot down an incoming missile had been successful, though a statement said more information would become available later.
“Information collected during the test is being analyzed by program personnel,” the ministry said in a statement.
A second statement confirmed the attempt as an “engagement test.”
The test would be a milestone for the advanced anti-ballistic missile interceptor, a major part of Israel’s air defense array.
The Arrow 3 is designed to strike targets outside the atmosphere, intercepting missiles closer to their launch sites.
The Arrow 3 was launched from the Palmachim air base in central Israel at an incoming missile fired by an air force jet toward the waters off Israel’s coast.
Similar tests have sometimes caught Israelis off guard and caused minor panics in the urban center of the country.
The Arrow 3, which Israel has been developing with the United States since 2008, is part of the multi-layered system Israel designed to protect itself against a range of missile threats — from short-range rockets fired from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, to longer-range threats like a missile launch from Iran.
Israel and the United States launched the Arrow 3 interceptor on Thursday morning to test the advanced anti-ballistic missile system’s capabilities, the Defense Ministry announced.
The ministry did not say if the attempt to shoot down an incoming missile had been successful, though a statement said more information would become available later.
“Information collected during the test is being analyzed by program personnel,” the ministry said in a statement.
A second statement confirmed the attempt as an “engagement test.”
The test would be a milestone for the advanced anti-ballistic missile interceptor, a major part of Israel’s air defense array.
The Arrow 3 is designed to strike targets outside the atmosphere, intercepting missiles closer to their launch sites.
The Arrow 3 was launched from the Palmachim air base in central Israel at an incoming missile fired by an air force jet toward the waters off Israel’s coast.
Similar tests have sometimes caught Israelis off guard and caused minor panics in the urban center of the country.
The Arrow 3, which Israel has been developing with the United States since 2008, is part of the multi-layered system Israel designed to protect itself against a range of missile threats — from short-range rockets fired from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, to longer-range threats like a missile launch from Iran.
The missile interceptors are designed to intercept more than five ballistic missiles within 30 seconds at altitudes of over 100 km (62 miles).
High-altitude interceptions are meant to safely destroy an incoming nuclear, biological or chemical warhead, before its target or trajectory is identified.
The Arrow 3 is being developed by the Israel Missile Defense Organization from the Defense Ministry’s research and development directorate and the US Missile Defense Agency.
A similar attempt to shoot down an incoming target conducted a year ago failed, with the test being changed at the last minute from a real-world “engagement test,” in which the system would attempt to shoot down an incoming missile, to a far less dramatic target-tracking exercise.
“The target scene was not satisfactory to meet test objectives and therefore an interceptor was not launched. A decision was made to conduct a target test only,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement following the failed test last year.
A test of the system’s earlier version, the Arrow 2, also failed to lock on to its target during a September 2014 trial.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report
