The Ministry of Defense and the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) have successfully completed a series of tests of the Arrow-3 Interceptor missile system, which is designed to intercept ballistic missiles outside the earth's atmosphere, at Pacific Spaceport Complex-Alaska (PSCA) in Kodiak, Alaska.
The Ministry of Defense said in a statement this morning that a US radar system had been had used in the tests, and that the ability of the various systems to communicate operationally had been successfully demonstrated. The Ministry of Defense said that the reason for holding the tests in Alaska was to examine the capabilities of the Arrow system, which could not be done in Israel.
The tests in Alaska were supposed to have been carried out a year ago, and the US allocated finance for them, but they were postponed on the grounds that the Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense had decided to hold them when the systems reached a higher level of readiness.
Israel Missile Defense OrganizationI director Moshe Patel said, ""Ten challenging years of development have culminated in this moment: the Arrow 3 weapon system completed a test campaign, during which an Arrow 3 interceptor completed full interception of the target. This is an extraordinary operational and technological achievement for the State of Israel, made possible by thousands of employees, engineers and officers from the Ministry of Defense, Israeli defense Industries, the Israel Air Force and our US partners.
"In addition, the fact that the tests were conducted in Alaska, tens of thousands of kilometers away from Israel, is another significant achievement that demonstrates the operational capabilities of the Arrow 3 system to successfully face any threat."
The Arrow 3 is produced by Israel Aerospace Industries, which is the main contractor for the project. The system is central part of Israel’s multi-layer defense system, comprising the Iron Dome Defense System, David’s Sling Weapon System, the Arrow-2, and the Arrow-3.
MDA Director Vice Admiral Jon Hill said, "This unique success in Alaska provides confidence in future Israeli capabilities to defeat the developing threats in the region. My congratulations to the Israel Missile Defense Organization, our MDA team, and our industry partners. We are committed to assisting the Government of Israel in upgrading its national missile defense capability to defend the State of Israel from emerging threats."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in response to the success of the Arrow 3 tests: "In the past few weeks we carried out three secret, breakthrough tests of the Arrow 3 missile. These tests were carried out in Alaska, in collaboration with our great ally the United States. There succeeded beyond all imagining. The Arrow 3 completely successfully intercepted ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere and at a speed we have not seen before. The missile's performance was perfect - every hit a bullseye.
"Today, Israel has the ability to act against ballistic missiles that might be launched against is from Iran or from anywhere else. This is a huge achievement for Israel's security. Let all our enemies know that we are a match for them both in defense and in attack."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on July 28, 2019
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