The US Missile Defence Agency and the Israel Missile Defense Organization’s directorate of defence research and development conducted a joint test of an upgraded Arrow 2 ballistic missile interception system over the Mediterranean Sea.
US Defense Department spokesman army colonel Steven Warren said: "An Arrow-2 missile was launched and performed its flight sequence as planned.
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"The results are being analysed by programme engineers.
"The test results have no effect on the Israeli operational system capability to cope with the existing threats in the region."
A Sparrow missile was fired from the Mediterranean Sea at Israel during the test, which forms part of Israel’s effort to develop a more advanced block of air defences against continually improving projectile threats used by its enemies.
A senior Israeli defence ministry official said: "The systems detected and tracked the missile, and at the correct time, fired an Arrow 2 interceptor.
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By GlobalData"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."
The improved version of the joint US-Israel Arrow Weapon System is intended to counter future threats and provide the system with an interceptor engagement capability.
Manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries, the Arrow 2 serves as the second layer of Israel’s multi-layered missile defence system and is designed to block incoming long-range enemy missiles.
In 2000, the system entered operational service with the Israeli Defence Forces and has occasionally been tested either in Israel or the US.
Image: The Arrow 2 anti-ballistic missile interceptor lifts off from the Point Mugu Sea Range, California, US. Photo: courtesy of US Navy.
