U.S. Mulls Israeli Anti-Rocket System Buy

TEL AVIV, Israel, Dec. 2 (UPI) — The U.S. Army will decide in the next few weeks whether it will buy Israel’s Iron Dome anti-rocket defense system, developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, to protect bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.

IDF sets up Magic Wand Unit

The IDF is perparing to establish a new unit that will address missile threats on densely populated areas in central Israel.

Israel: Generals say Defense Cuts Perilous

TEL AVIV, Israel, Oct. 10 (UPI) — Israel’s military chiefs are up in arms over defense budget cuts, claiming these will slow development of vital missile defense systems and immobilize one-third of the air force and 20 percent of the army’s tanks.

Israel’s Newest Missile Interceptor Undergoes Live Trial

Israel recently completed a launch test of its Arrow 3 missile, a locally-developed system designed to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles high in the atmosphere, local media said on Monday.

Sky’s no longer the limit

Iron Dome: 11 more batteries planned (Photo: Reuters)

The defense establishment is set to present an impressive plan in the coming days, the aim of which is to render Israel the most defensible country in the world from the threat of rockets and ballistic missiles.

IDF Plan Targets New Threats

With much of the Middle East in turmoil, new realities are emerging for Israel and her neighbors, reshaping the strategic environment that has remained nearly constant for more than 30 years, since the 1979 peace accord with Egypt.

U.S.: Israeli missile defense system can protect our Mideast bases

Arrow type missile being launched in an IDF test site, 2006.

The Israeli missile defense system will be integrated into a regional defense array planned by the U.S., General Patrick O’reilly, head of the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency, said Monday.

In an interview published in the American Defense News journal. According to the interview, the Israeli missile batteries may also protect Arab countries who are allies of the U.S. but with which Israel has no diplomatic ties.

IAF Conducts First Missile-Defense System Test

The Israeli Air Force has begun laboratory tests on its anti-missile defense systems. The first test tested how well several new systems would handle varying missiles.  Israel is due to have three anti-missile systems in the coming years.

The Israel Air Force has for the past few years been developing a variety of high-tech systems to counter every sort of rocket – from jerrybuilt Qassams to Iranian ballistic missiles. But until now no one knew how they would work together.

In order to find out, the air force this week began laboratory tests on all of its anti-missile defense systems, the military said in a statement Saturday.

Israel Upgrades Its Antimissile Plans

Arrow-2

The U.S. and Israel have started development of an upper-stage component to Israel’s Arrow-3 missile defense architecture. Arieh Herzog, director of Israel’s missile defense program, says the main element will be a highly maneuverable exoatmospheric interceptor that zeros in on an incoming missile.

The decision to add the component, which will be jointly developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Boeing, stems from a study conducted in 2006‑07 that identified a need for it in Israel’s ballistic missile defense system.

Meanwhile, given the urgent need to meet the growing ballistic missile threat from Iran, IAI is pressing ahead with the Arrow-3 antiballistic missile, the development of which is being funded partly by the U.S. IAI displayed a full-sized model of the two-stage Arrow-3 at the Paris air show last year. It is slightly smaller than the Arrow-2 missile in service, but is designed to engage and intercept clusters of hostile missiles at higher altitudes in the upper atmosphere. Uri Sinai, general manager of IAI’s missile division, says the Arrow-3 will be the world’s first multi­tiered, unified antimissile system, providing Israel’s Homa national missile-defense strategy with an effective exoatmospheric kill vehicle (KV).