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| The Arrow missile interceptor's moment of truth |
| 2004-07-27 |
| By Ellis Shuman July 27th, 2004 Israel's Arrow missile interceptor will soon be put to the test when it is launched against a real incoming Scud missile at a naval base in California. The Arrow, manufactured by Israel Aircraft Industries and co-funded by the United States, has previously shot down "dummy" Scuds and computer simulations. At a time when Israel is no longer endangered by an Iraqi missile threat, it is unclear if the Arrow interceptors will prove effective against Iran's long-range Shahab-3 missiles. A security official told Army Radio today that the Arrow was untested against the incoming angle of missiles fired at Israel from such a distance. Iran yesterday threatened to "wipe Israel off the map" if Israel or the United States launched an attack on the country's nuclear facilities. Ahead of this week's test, an Arrow missile battery was provided by Israel to the United States. An American army unit will launch an unarmed Scud missile, captured during the Gulf War, and Israel's Green Pine radar system will attempt to track its trajectory. The Arrow interceptors will be fired at the appropriate time by computer command, with the goal of blasting the incoming missile over the ocean. Security officials, speaking on Channel One television yesterday, dismissed suggestions that the Arrow test was a warning signal to Syria and Iran. "These tests are planned many years in advance. There is no connection between them and current developments," one official said. A successful test this week will prove that "the Arrow can protect the State of Israel from ground-to-ground missiles that already exist, and from those that will be developed in the coming years," officials said, quoted in Yediot Aharonot. If the test proves unsuccessful, however, planners will have many months of corrections, adjustments and recalculations ahead of them, Army Radio reported. Israel and the United States have invested $2 billion in the Arrow project. Security sources are convinced the Arrow, which can travel at nine times the speed of sound to intercept hostile missiles as far as 50 kilometers from their targets, could intercept any missile fired from Iraq or Iran, including Scuds. In the 1991 Gulf War, Iraq fired 39 Scuds at Israel causing damage but few casualties. The IDF declared the Arrow system operational in 2000, but it has not been tested in combat situations. Two batteries of Arrow missile interceptors are already operational at Ein Shemer and Palmahim in Israel. |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |
| #3 I always thought that the Pac 1 misses were because the original Patriot was designed to destroy aircaft by exploding in the near vicinity of the target. Regardless, do they need a "test" target for the Scud? What was Barbara's adress again? I think there are even arial photos somewhere on the web that might aid in targetting her bedroom. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-07-27 10:27:31 PM |
| #2 Methinks a successful test merits an AOK to de-nuclearize Iran... |
| Posted by: borgboy 2004-07-27 9:25:36 PM |
| #1 The link is giving "Error 500--Internal Server Error" msgs, so I'll wing it with the info posted... They certainly had one helluva jump start, thanks to Raytheon's 2nd Generation Patriot... The improved version scores direct hits... I assume the software was a significant "gift" to the Arrow program. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-07-27 9:17:31 PM |