Special to WorldTribune.com

TEL AVIV — Israel and the United States have conducted what they
termed a successful test of the Arrow ballistic missile defense system.

The Israel Missile Defense Organization and the U.S. Missile Defense
Agency oversaw a Feb. 10 test of the Arrow system. A joint statement said
Arrow did not intercept rather tracked a mock enemy target over the
Mediterranean Sea.

“This was a major milestone in the development of the Arrow Weapon System and provides confidence in operational Israeli capabilities to defeat the developing ballistic missile threat,” the statement said.

On Feb. 10, Israel and the United States said the Arrow Block 4 system tracked the target missile, identified as Blue Sparrow-2 and meant to simulate an Iranian or Syrian ballistic missile. The enhanced fire control radar, identified as Super Green Pine, transferred data to the Citron Tree battle management controller, which prepared a simulated intercept solution.

“Data collected from the flight test will be used to verify
functionality of the Block 4 AWS [Arrow weapon system],” the statement said. “Elements of the U.S. ballistic missile defense system successfully performed interoperability with the AWS and collected data.”

The test came in wake of the U.S. cancellation of a major ballistic
missile defense exercise with Israel in the Mediterranean. Officials said
the joint exercise, Austere Challenge, would take place in late 2012 in an
attempt to reduce tension with Iran.

The prime contractor of Arrow has been the state-owned Israel Aerospace
Industries, which was co-producing the interceptor along with Boeing. IAI
also developed the Super Green Pine radar, meant to operate at a greater
range than its predecessor.

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