Israel, U.S. complete missile defense system test
JERUSALEM. February 10. KAZINFORM Israel, together with the United States, have conducted a successful test of Arrow 3, a defense system designed to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles high in the atmosphere, the Israeli Defense Ministry confirmed on Friday; Kazinform refers to Xinhua.
"The Israel Missile Defense Organization and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency recently completed a successful test of the joint U. S.-Israel Arrow Weapon System (AWS) over the Mediterranean Sea," according to a ministry statement.
The test is the last one before the delivery of AWS, said the press release.
Developed locally in Israel, the Arrow 3 is slated to be the next-generation missile interceptor, built to collide "metal-to- metal" with long-range ballistic missiles armed before they re- enter the Earth's atmosphere.
Its forte lies in a sensor integrated into its propulsion system that enables it to bypass non-threatening objects in space and knock out an enemy missile with pinpoint accuracy.
The system, whose development is being underwritten by the United States, is expected to become fully operational by 2015, project director Yoav Turgeman said last November; Kazinform cites Xinhua.
To learn more go to www.xinhuanet.com/english2010