The Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) of the Directorate of the Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) at Israel's Ministry of Defense, together with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), successfully completed a test of the Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile system on Jan. 22, 2019.
The test was conducted at a test site in central Israel and was led by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in collaboration with the Israeli Air Force (IAF). Once the target was launched, the Arrow Weapon System radars detected it and transferred the data to the Battle Management Control (BMC) which then established a defense plan. At the right moment, the Arrow-3 interceptor was launched toward the target and successfully completed its mission.
The Arrow-3 (Hetz 3) is designed to defend against ballistic missiles by targeting the threat outside of the atmosphere, i.e., exo-atmospheric interception. The missile reportedly has a flight range of up to 2,400 km (1,500 mi).
The Arrow Weapon System is a major part of Israel's multi-layered defense array. This array is based on four layers: Iron Dome Defense System, David's Sling Weapon System, Arrow-2 and the Arrow-3 Weapon Systems. The success of this test is a major milestone in the operational capabilities of the State of lsrael and its ability to defend itself against current and future threats in the region.
Arrow-3 interceptors were delivered to the Israeli Air Force in January 2017 for operational use.
