OFFICIAL: ISRAEL CARRIES OUT ARROW MISSILE INTERCEPTOR TEST
The US-backed Arrow missile is designed to shoot down incoming missiles at altitudes high enough to allow for any non-conventional warheads to disintegrate safely, Maan reports quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).
The test was of a new generation Arrow III, which is intended to bolster defenses against threats to the Israel, including from Iran and Syria. Designers say the system has proved a success in up to 90 percent of live trials.
Monday’s test did not involve an interception of any target, but was designed to try out the flight of the missile.
Arrow III’s interceptors are designed to be launched into space, where their warheads detach, turning into “kamikaze” satellites that seek out and slam into target missiles.
The Pentagon and US firm Boeing are partners in Arrow. Washington has described its support for Israeli missile interceptors as a means of reassuring Israel, which in the past has launched wars against perceived threats, that it has a more passive means of defending itself. (T/P01/E1).
