An Arrow II missile defense interceptor shot down a target ballistic missile in a test of the Israeli national missile defense system, making Israeli officials hopeful the successful hit will persuade the U.S. Congress to continue funding for the joint Israeli-U.S. missile defense system, according to Haaretz, the Israeli news organization.
Congress may, however, decide to slash funding for some U.S. missile defense systems.
The Boeing Co. [BA] works with Israel Aerospace Industries to produce the Arrow II.
That April 7 test, conducted in Israel by the Israel Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), continues a joint Israeli-U.S. effort. The Arrow II intercepted a Blue Sparrow missile that was simulating an Iranian Shahab-3 flight path.
That test also employed an X-band radar that the United States installed in Israel last year.
The test of the Arrow II comes as fears increase that nuclear weapons will proliferate throughout the Middle East, because an obstinate Iran refuses to stop producing nuclear materials, drawing condemnation from European leaders and the United States.
Iran commands formidable missile technologies, ranging from short-range weapons up to the technology to build intercontinental ballistic missiles, as it proved recently when it launched a satellite that half an hour later was over the United States. Iran also has fired several missiles in a barrage, or salvo, launch, and has launched a missile from a submerged submarine.
Iran also has supplied rockets and missiles to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and to Hamas in the Gaza Strip, terrorist groups that use the weapons to bombard Israel, destroying buildings and killing civilians.
Israel is working on several missile defense systems to produce a multilayered shield against enemy missiles of various ranges, including the Iron Dome system.
In the Arrow test earlier this month, “This successful test underscores the effectiveness of the cooperative relationship we have forged with IAI on the Arrow program and other international missile defense initiatives,” according to Greg Hyslop, vice president and general manager of Boeing Missile Defense Systems. “Boeing is proud to co-produce Arrow II interceptors, which provide the state of Israel with a proven defense capability against ballistic missile threats.”
The event marked the co-produced Arrow II’s second intercept in two attempts, as well as its third successful flight test. The Arrow II is part of the Arrow Weapon System, which Israel and the United States have jointly developed to defend Israel against the growing threat of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.
To defend Europe and the United States against such missile threats, especially the growing Iranian missile arsenal, the MDA would build the European Missile Defense (EMD) system, a variant of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system now installed in Alaska and California. Both the EMD and GMD programs also are led by Boeing. But Congress has blocked using funds to construct the EMD until it clears a series of hurdles.
Under an agreement with IAI, prime contractor for the Arrow Weapon System, Boeing provides several Arrow II interceptor components, including the Section II electronics assembly (part of the avionics and guidance subsystem); the nose cone; the canister assembly that houses the interceptor; electrical subsystems; and motor cases. IAI is responsible for system integration and final interceptor assembly in Israel.
Boeing’s major suppliers on Arrow II are Alliant Techsystems (ATK) of Iuka, Miss., and Clearfield, Utah; Manes Machine, of Fort Collins, Colo.; Patterson Machine, of Union Grove, Ala.; and Sanmina-SCI, of Huntsville, Ala.