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Arrow 2 System Successfully Tested

(August 13, 2020)

On February 21, 2011, Israel conducted a successful test of the Arrow 2 ballistic missile defense system, destroying a target simulating an Iranian ballistic missile off the coast of California. Conducted jointly by the Israeli Air Force, the Israeli Defense Ministry's Homa Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), it was the eighteenth test of the Arrow and the second in which the modified Arrow 2 was tested in its entirety. The exercise also tested the Green Pine radar, manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), which detected and identified the enemy missile and related the information to the Arrow battery which launched the missile interceptor around 10:30 pm Pacific Standard Time from a U.S. Naval base along the California coast.

Arieh Herzog, head of the Homa Missile Defense Agency, said that the Arrow system worked as designed and completely destroyed the target. Defense officials also said the Arrow system could protect Israel from all of the missiles in Iran's arsenal.

On August 13, 2020, the Arrow was tested successfully again. The test simulated an incoming missile. The radar locked on the target,intercepted it, and destroyed the mock threat. 

“The test was just perfect; all the systems worked as anticipated,” said Boaz Levi, IAI’s executive vice president and general manager of Systems, Missiles and Space Group.

The MDA director, Vice Admiral Jon Hill, said, “MDA remains committed to assisting the government of Israel as it upgrades its national missile defense capability against current and emerging threats.”

Over the last 20 years, five major upgrades have been made to prepare for future threats, including a nuclear armed missile.


Source: Yaakov Katz, “Video: Arrow 2 missile defense successfully tested,” Jerusalem Post, (February 22, 2011);
“Israel successfully tests Arrow-2 missile interceptor, says U.S. missile agency,” Reuters, (August 12, 2020);
Anna Ahronheim, “Israel successfully carries out Arrow-2 interception test,” Jerusalem Post, (August 13, 2020).