An improved Arrow missile, with modifications to its hardware and electronics, was successfully test-fired at 12:05 p।m. Monday afternoon at Palmahim Air Force Base.
The purpose of Monday's test was to launch the missile in a fly-out (where a missile is fired without intercepting a target) and then gather information on its flight and performance. The data will then be evaluated by the IAI Arrow team and applied to continued development.
Yoav Turgeman, head of the Arrow program at Israel Air force Industries, said that that improvements made to the missile's hardware and electronics not only reduced manufacturing costs - by some 20 percent - but also improved its ability to intercept incoming ballistic threats. The entire test took just one minute.
A senior official said that the Arrow was capable of intercepting ballistic missiles currently capable of threatening Israel, including those in the hands of Iran and Syria.
"The Arrow missile has proven its capabilities time after time," Arieh Herzog of the Homa missile defense agency, told The Jerusalem Post.
"The Arrow protects Israel from all ballistic missiles in the region," Herzog said.
Defense Minister Amir Peretz praised the successful launch, calling it "another stage" in the development of Israel's missile defense system that provided protection against long-range threats to Israel.
Missiles test-fired from Palmahim are programmed to land in the Mediterranean Sea.
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