Non-Subscriber Extract
Israel's anti-ballistic missile test pushes altitude boundaries
- Article Tools
| 05 December 2005 |
Israel's anti-ballistic missile test pushes altitude boundaries
By Alon Ben-David JDW Correspondent
Tel Aviv
Israel's anti-ballistic missile Arrow Weapon System (AWS) successfully intercepted a target simulating an Iranian Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) in a test over the Mediterranean on 2 December.
The interception was conducted at a record low altitude, considered below the AWS's performance envelope, and determined the operability of the Arrow II Block 3 interceptor, manufactured jointly by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.
"We have never before tried the Arrow against the Shahab characteristics, but we know now that we are capable of intercepting all existing ballistic missile threats in the region, whether conventional or non-conventional, and we are developing capabilities to deal with future threats," Director of the Israel Missile Defence Organisation Arieh Herzog told JDW.
Following the interception, IAF's MIM-104 Patriot low- to high-altitude air-defence batteries joined the test, simulating an additional interception at lower altitude. Israel's ballistic missile defence concept is based on a two-tier layered defence in which the AWS constitutes the higher layer and the Patriot an additional, lower layer.
168 of 683 words