Special to WorldTribune.com

TEL AVIV — The Israel Air Force has taken delivery of an upgraded
U.S. missile defense battery.

The Israel Missile Defense Association has reported that the Air Force
took delivery of a new Patriot battery supplied by the United States. The
non-profit association, which promotes missile defense, said the PAC battery
would enhance Israel’s Arrow-2 system.

“The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] has now taken delivery of a new Patriot battery, the first step in a planned upgrade of Israel’s older Patriot batteries,” the association said in late December. “The upgrade will help make the missile system an effective supplement to Arrow-2, as it takes its place in Israel’s deployed, layered active missile defense architecture.”

IMDA did not identify the new missile defense battery. But industry sources said the battery was a PAC-2 upgraded to PAC-3 configuration in a project known as Guided Enhanced Missile plus.

The Air Force first received the PAC-2 on the eve of the 1990 war between Iraq and the United States.

The PAC-2, manufactured by Raytheon as an anti-aircraft system, failed to intercept any of the 42 Scud B missiles fired by Iraq toward Israel.

The Patriot has been identified as a low-tier missile interception
system. The sources said Israel’s state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense
Systems was working with Raytheon to produce the David’s Sling missile and
rocket defense system, which would supersede the interception envelope of
Patriot.

The U.S. Congress has approved $235 million for Israel’s BMD programs,
including David’s Sling. Officials said the U.S. aid would bolster Israeli
missile and rocket defense research and development, particularly David’s
Sling and the new Arrow-3.

“The aid from Congress is the next level in the strengthening of defense
ties between Israel and the United States,” Israeli Defense Minister Ehud
Barak said.

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