Arrow 2

The Arrow 2 missile defense system is part of a five-tiered air defense structure, which is aimed at providing Israel with comprehensive security coverage. According to a spokesman from the Israeli Defense Ministry, Jonathan Mosery, the Arrow 2 system has been operational for years and is intended to be used for long-range threats. The other three systems – Iron Beam, David’s Sling, and Arrow 3 – are expected to become operational by 2016.

The Arrow 2 is an anti-ballistic missile system that became operational in 2000. One battery was deployed near Tel Aviv and another near the port of Haifa. The US Department of Defense began developing the system in 1988, and the Arrow 2 version was first tested in 1995. Israeli Aircraft Industries signed a contract with Boeing in February 2003 to purchase Arrow 2 systems manufactured in the US.

The Arrow 2 system normally comes with four or eight launchers and each launcher contains six missile tubes. The launchers, along with the fire control center and the radar system are usually transported by truck. The Arrow 2 uses a two stage booster engine. The system is also capable of detecting incoming missiles from 500 km away and can intercept missiles between 50 and 90 miles away. The techniques for KV maneuvering in space by using a rocket motor equipped with a flexible nozzle combined with an Attitude Control System (ACS) utilizing cold gas ejection for achieving and maintaining an orientation is used by the Arrow.RTM. interceptor.

Arrow 2 was developed by Israel Aerospace Industries with help from Boeing, Elta and Elbit Elisra. Speaking at the systems launch in 2000, Major-General Eitan Ben Eliyahu said, “This is a great day for the Air Defense Forces, for the Air Force, the defense establishment and, I would say, for the State of Israel.”

Israel said September 03, 2013 it carried out a “joint” US missile launch in the Mediterranean, having earlier claimed ignorance. Russian radars detected two ballistic rockets fired in the region, sparking widespread speculation over who was behind the launch. A spokesperson for the Israeli army confirmed that a launch of a missile had been carried out 9:15am local time (06:15 GMT), adding that US forces in the Mediterranean had been given prior warning of the drill. A fighter jet launched an Ankor-type (“Sparrow”) missile as part of a drill to test the Israeli missile defense system. However, earlier, when the Russian government announced it had detected the firing of "two ballistic objects" in the area, Israel insisted it had no “information on this issue yet.”

The Israeli Defense Ministry confirmed a US defense agency took part in a “successful flight test of the new version of the Sparrow target missile” in a statement. “Israel’s Missile Defense Organization and the US Missile Defense Agency officials conducted the flight test. The main contractor for the integration and development of the Sparrow is Rafael and the main contractor of the Arrow Weapon System is MLM of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in conjunction with Boeing,” the statement explained.

On 20 August 2014 Israel and the United States conducted a joint missile test of the Arrow 2 interceptor system. It took place over the Mediterranean, according to Israel’s Defense Ministry, and was detected by military radar in southwest Russia. The missile was monitored by Israel’s Defense Ministry, who also added that the results were being analyzed by a team of engineers.

Major-General Igor Konashenkov, from the Russian Defense Ministry, stated that the missile was picked up from the Armavir Radar Station and they monitored it for 40 seconds. “The trajectory of the missile went through the central part of the Mediterranean Sea and was heading towards its east coast. It fell into the sea around 300 kilometers north of Tel Aviv,” Konashenkov said.

To test the missile defense system’s capabilities, a Rafael-produced Sparrow missile was fired from the Mediterranean Sea at Israel, a senior official from the Israeli Ministry of Defense said. "The systems detected and tracked the missile, and at the correct time, fired an Arrow 2 interceptor.” "All of the stages were carried out. We are now going over visual intelligence, broadcast from the interceptor and the target missile, to determine what occurred in the end stage," he added.