Israel’s upgraded Arrow ballistic missile shield. Photo: United States Missile Defense Agency.

JNS.org — The head of Israel’s missile defense program said the country has “entered a new age.”

Moshe Patel said, “Today, we delivered to the air force the first Arrow 3 interceptor, with interception capabilities that are much greater and can be done from much farther away than anything that we have now.”

The Arrow 3 system, which is a joint Israeli-American venture, is designed to serve as the upper-most tier of Israel’s multilayered missile defense program, which also includes the Iron Dome and David’s Sling. Arrow 3 has the capability to shoot down intercontinental ballistic missiles outside of the earth’s atmosphere.

“I am sure that this system, along with the others that we have and that will join our arsenal in the future…will give us more effective and meaningful capabilities,” said Brig.-Gen. Tzvika Haimovich, who heads the Israeli military’s Aerial Defense Command.

Originally designed by Israel’s Missile Defense Organization and the US Missile Defense Agency, Arrow 3 was developed by Israel Aerospace Industries in partnership with Boeing, the US defense manufacturer, and was partially financed by the American government.

With the new system, which is widely considered the most advanced of its kind in the world, both countries will have the capability of shooting down ballistic missiles in outer space.