This month, Israel has completed its own Missile Defense Shield, comprising three different systems for different threats:
Iron Dome: developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, covers short range rockets and missiles (up to 70 km range)
David Sling: developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems in cooperation with the IDF, covers medium range (70-300 Km range) missiles, rockets and UAVs
Arrow 3: developed by Israel Aerospace Industries and Boeing, covers long range ballistic missiles.
Last week Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd, the company behind the Iron Dome, unveiled its new Iron Beam system, a less expensive and more versatile laser-based addition to Israel's defensive arsenal.
The Iron Beam represents a fifth layer in Israel's comprehensive missile defense system, which is in various stages of completion. Once assembled, the Iron Dome and Iron Beam will work in tandem to stave off short-range and very short-range attacks, respectively, while the David's Sling will take on medium-range rockets and the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems will deflect long-range ballistic missiles.
The missile defense agencies of Israel and the United States carried out yesterday a second test of the advanced Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile system over the Mediterranean Sea, Israel’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The test fire, held at 8 a.m. at a launch facility in central Israel, was headed by the Administration for the Development of Weapons and the Technological Industry at the Defense Ministry, in collaboration with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. According to a Defense Ministry statement, Arrow 3 is equipped with a revolutionary interceptor system that will enable Israel to effectively counter future security threats.
The Defense Ministry noted that the successful test fire "serves as an important milestone in the State of Israel's operational ability to defend itself against the foreseen threats in the regional theater." The Arrow 3 is an anti-ballistic missile, jointly funded and developed by Israel and the United States. The innovative Arrow 3 Interceptor is designed to intercept and destroy the newest, longer-range threats, especially those carrying weapons of mass destruction.
Recently the United States agreed to build a base for the new Israeli Arrow 3 anti-missile missile. This has caused a major security problem for Israel. That’s because the United States publishes, for all to see, precise specifications of military construction programs that are not classified, so that contractors can come up with realistic and accurate bids for the job. In the United States something like the Arrow 3 base would not be classified. But in Israel details of military bases are very much secrets. So there was consternation in Israel when they saw all the details of their new Arrow 3 base (including specs on the six missile silos and support facilities) on the Internet, where the U.S. Department of Defense publicizes jobs to be bid on. After all the yelling and recriminations were over it was agreed that there was a failure to communicate on both sides. (Read more)
Israel está acelerando el desarrollo de su sistema antimisiles Arrow 3. En palabras del Coronel Aviram Hasson, responsable del proyecto, “Estamos anticipándonos a la posibilidad de un ataque nuclear, y nuestro objetivo es alcanzar una situación en la que Israel esté preparado para cualquier posibilidad presente o futura.”
¿Qué es el Arrow 3?
Arrow 3 es un sistema defensivo exatmosférico desarrollado por las compañías IAI (Israel Aeospace Industries) y BA (Boeing Aerospace) como resultado de un acuerdo de cooperación defensiva antimisiles entre Estados Unidos e Israel. Basado en la tecnología "hit to kill", está concebido para interceptar misiles balísticos a una altura de 100 kilómetros e incluso más, pudiendo eventualmente servir como arma antisatélites. En cuanto a su capacidad de respuesta inmediata, una batería Arrow 3 puede interceptar salvas de más de cinco misiles balísticos en tan sólo 30 segundos.
