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Israel tests Arrow interceptor missile
[Al Arabiya Latest] Israel carried out a test launch of its Arrow II interceptor missile on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry said, a system designed to defend against possible ballistic missile attacks by Iran and Syria. "It was a successful test," the ministry said.The Arrow intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile comparable to Iran's Shahab-3, which can reach the Jewish state, that was fired by an Israeli fighter plane over the Mediterranean, a defense source said. Israel Radio said it was the 16th test launch of an Arrow. The defense source said 90 percent of those tests have been successful. It was the latest successful test of the Arrow, a project launched in 1988 as part of the then Star Wars program under late U.S. president Ronald Reagan that was abandoned in 1993. The project is jointly funded by Israel and the United States to serve as a strategic shield against ballistic missiles in the arsenals of Iran and Syria. At least two Arrow batteries have been deployed in Israel, which has been testing the system to improve its performance at high altitudes and against multiple incoming missiles. Posted by: 2009-04-08 |
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