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On January 18, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced that it had conducted a successful test of its Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile system.
ICYMI: Photos released by the Ministry of Defense show the Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile system test this morning.
More details here: https://t.co/T8JhNK4IPj @TimesofIsrael @JudahAriGross pic.twitter.com/iwaCGb6nyT
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) January 18, 2022
In a statement, the MoD said that the live-fire test was conducted over central Israel in the early hours of the morning, with two Arrow 3 interceptors being fired at the same target.
“The operational radar arrays of the Arrow system detected the target and sent the data to the fire management system, which analyzed the data and fully plotted the interception. Once the plans were completed, two Arrow 3 interceptors were fired at the target, and they completed their mission successfully,” the statement reads.
Moshe Patel, head of the Israeli MoD’s Missile Defense Organization, said that a number of “breakthrough” capabilities for the Arrow 3 systems were tested.
“We have made a breakthrough in every part of the system, in the detection arrays, in the launches, even in the interceptors themselves, so that they match the threats that are expected in the region. There were highly, highly significant technological breakthroughs here that were assessed and can be used by the air force in its operational systems immediately,” Patel told reporters, according to The Times of Israel.
From his side, Boaz Levy, the president and CEO of the Israel Aerospace Industries which manufactures the Arrow 3, said that the “breakthroughs” were in the system’s algorithms, detection and calculation capabilities.
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In April of 2021, the Arrow system failed to intercept a Soviet-made S-200 missile launched by Syria’s air defenses during a fire exchange. Back then, the system, which was developed with support from the US, was heavily criticized by military observers.
The new test of the Arrow anti-ballistic missile system appears to be more of a message to Iran, who demonstrated its advanced missile capabilities during recent drills.
