U.S. and Israeli officials said Thursday (Feb. 18) that the two countries are working together to develop a breakthrough missile defense system that could target and neutralize missile threats from the atmosphere and from space. Pictured here, Israel launches an interceptor missile in November 2019.
U.S. and Israeli officials said Thursday (Feb. 18) that the two countries are working together to develop a breakthrough missile defense system that could target and eliminate missile threats from the atmosphere and in space.
The Arrow4 system represents the next generation of “endo-atmospheric interceptor weapons” that will be deployed gradually, eventually replacing the existing Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 systems within decades, officials said.
“The Arrow 4 project is a direct collaboration between the Israeli Missile Defense Agency (IMDO) and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA). Israel Aerospace Industries is the prime contractor for the development and production of the system and its interceptor weapons.
While officials did not name a specific threat that motivated the development of the new missile defense system, it is clear that Arrow 4 was developed with an eye toward dealing with Iran, a country that regularly threatens Israel and has been developing advanced missiles of its own.
“Arrow 4 is a cooperative project between the U.S. and Israel, which suggests that the U.S. is assisting Israel in upgrading its national missile defense capabilities to defend the State of Israel from new threats of war.” MDA Director Jon Hill said.
Israeli military officials said the new defense program is the latest in a series of joint U.S.-Israeli military efforts that will enhance national security.
“Over the past 30 years, we have developed one of the most advanced missile defense systems in the world, built from four combat-proven defense strata.” IMDO Director Moshe Patel said, “The capabilities of these defenses are continually being improved to meet emerging threats, and the new ‘Arrow IV’ system will have excellent flight and interception capabilities to continue to ensure the security of the State of Israel.”
“The Arrow anti-missile system was developed jointly by Israel and the United States, and the Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 have been deployed in Israel to intercept intercontinental missiles outside the atmosphere, particularly missiles carrying nuclear and biological warheads. This system is part of Israel’s multi-layered anti-missile system, which, together with the David Slingshot and Iron Dome systems, defends against long-, medium- and short-range missile threats, respectively.
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