'Israel to hold Arrow 3 missile test soon'
Head of air defense program says new system will be able to intercept more than one missile at a time
"A first test of the advanced Arrow 3 missile will be held soon in order to examine its effectiveness," the head of the air defense program at Israel Aerospace Industries revealed Thursday.
Related articles:
"Through the new system we will be able to intercept more than one missile (at a time)," said Yitzhak Kaya, adding that the test would be carried out within the next two weeks at the Palmachim Base.
He said an additional test would include the interception of an "enemy missile."
Advanced Arrow 3 missile (Photo: Israel Aerospace Industries)
"We must remain ahead of the threats from the east, which include a barrage rather than just one rocket launching," Kaya told a defense industries conference at Airport City. "The Arrow 3 system will allow for the interception of more than one rocket - with the Arrow 2 serving as a backup in case the interception fails."
Kaya said the recent tests have been conducted in accordance with the security establishment's multi-year plan and in cooperation with the US.
Last month the Defense Ministry announced it had successfully tested some key components of the Arrow system, which is meant to protect Israel from Iranian ballistic missiles.
The test took place in an IAF base in central Israel. According to the Defense Ministry, it did not include a missile test-fire, but rather tested the upgraded abilities of the system's radar.
An IAF F-15 fighter jet taking part in the test fired a target projectile, nicknamed "blue sparrow," and the radar successfully detected it and sent the relevant data to the Arrow's command and control center.
The new system, the Defense Ministry's statement said, incorporates several links to US-made ballistic missile defense systems.
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop
