Israel’s “Arrow” Aerial Defense System Intercepts Ballistic Missile Launched from Yemen
As the war circle widens, so do Israel’s defense capabilities. Everything there is to know about the advanced system which has served as a key component in Israel’s defense architecture since 2000
Mandi Kogosowski
| 31/10/2023
Israel’s “Arrow” missile defense system intercepted a surface-to-surface missile, fired yesterday morning toward the southern coastal city of Eilat from the Red Sea. According to official reports, the missile was intercepted long before it managed to enter Israeli aerial territory.
The Houthi rebels, Iran’s proxy in Yemen, assumed responsibility for this launch. In a televised statement, their spokesperson said that the group fired many drones and ballistic missiles at Israel and will fire many more to help the Palestinians achieve victory. Last week, US Navy warships in the Red Sea intercepted three missiles fired from Yemen, directed at Israel. A few days later, Houthi drones accidentally hit two towns in Egypt's Sinai, not far from Eilat.
This development represents two firsts: It is the first time the Houthis have engaged in an active conflict with Israel, which sheds light on the potential for regional escalation – and also the first operational use of the “Arrow” system since this war began.
The Arrow Weapon System (AWS) is an advanced family of interceptors and modular subsystems designed to provide highly effective, multi-tiered defense against the growing threat of theater ballistic missiles (TBMs, ballistic missiles with a range of under 3,500 km).
Developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the Israeli Ministry of Defense, and the US Missile Defense System, AWS surveils, detects, tracks, assesses, and intercepts ballistic missiles outside of the Earth's atmosphere. Operational since 2000, the system has served as a key component in Israel’s defense architecture.
The Arrow 2 is the first interceptor in Israel’s multi-tier defense system. Its key features include high lethality against a large range of TBMs, hypersonic velocity, endo- and exo-atmospheric interception capabilities, a very short reaction time, powerful fragmentation warheads, and more.
The Arrow 3 has been operational since 2017 and is Israel’s upper-tier, exo-atmospheric interceptor, which destroys long-range threats far away from their targets, and close to their launch sites. In September, Israel signed a $3.5 billion deal for the delivery of the purchase of the Arrow 3 system. This is Israel’s largest defense deal to date.
“The Arrow system, a system developed by IAI in close cooperation with the Ministry of Defense, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, and the Israeli Air Force, demonstrated today that Israel possesses the most advanced technology for defense against ballistic missiles at various ranges,” Boaz Levy CEO and President of the IAI, said yesterday.
“The Arrow missile defense system is a critical component of Israel's multi-layered defense system. IAI’s Engineers work closely with the Ministry of Defense and the IDF in full cooperation and support of this system.”
As the war circle widens, so do Israel’s defense capabilities. Everything there is to know about the advanced system which has served as a key component in Israel’s defense architecture since 2000
Israel’s “Arrow” missile defense system intercepted a surface-to-surface missile, fired yesterday morning toward the southern coastal city of Eilat from the Red Sea. According to official reports, the missile was intercepted long before it managed to enter Israeli aerial territory.
The Houthi rebels, Iran’s proxy in Yemen, assumed responsibility for this launch. In a televised statement, their spokesperson said that the group fired many drones and ballistic missiles at Israel and will fire many more to help the Palestinians achieve victory. Last week, US Navy warships in the Red Sea intercepted three missiles fired from Yemen, directed at Israel. A few days later, Houthi drones accidentally hit two towns in Egypt's Sinai, not far from Eilat.
This development represents two firsts: It is the first time the Houthis have engaged in an active conflict with Israel, which sheds light on the potential for regional escalation – and also the first operational use of the “Arrow” system since this war began.
The Arrow Weapon System (AWS) is an advanced family of interceptors and modular subsystems designed to provide highly effective, multi-tiered defense against the growing threat of theater ballistic missiles (TBMs, ballistic missiles with a range of under 3,500 km).
Developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the Israeli Ministry of Defense, and the US Missile Defense System, AWS surveils, detects, tracks, assesses, and intercepts ballistic missiles outside of the Earth's atmosphere. Operational since 2000, the system has served as a key component in Israel’s defense architecture.
The Arrow 2 is the first interceptor in Israel’s multi-tier defense system. Its key features include high lethality against a large range of TBMs, hypersonic velocity, endo- and exo-atmospheric interception capabilities, a very short reaction time, powerful fragmentation warheads, and more.
The Arrow 3 has been operational since 2017 and is Israel’s upper-tier, exo-atmospheric interceptor, which destroys long-range threats far away from their targets, and close to their launch sites. In September, Israel signed a $3.5 billion deal for the delivery of the purchase of the Arrow 3 system. This is Israel’s largest defense deal to date.
“The Arrow system, a system developed by IAI in close cooperation with the Ministry of Defense, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, and the Israeli Air Force, demonstrated today that Israel possesses the most advanced technology for defense against ballistic missiles at various ranges,” Boaz Levy CEO and President of the IAI, said yesterday.
“The Arrow missile defense system is a critical component of Israel's multi-layered defense system. IAI’s Engineers work closely with the Ministry of Defense and the IDF in full cooperation and support of this system.”
