The Israeli Arrow anti-tactical ballistic missile system failed to intercept a target simulating a separating ballistic missile during a test at the USNavy's range off the California coast on 26 August, writes Arie Egozi.
A month after the Arrow successfully intercepted a Scud missile in the same range, it was tested again, this time against a short-range, air-launched target that simulated a separating ballistic missile. The target was launched from a US Air Force Boeing C-17 at 20,000ft (6,100m) and went into a ballistic trajectory. The booster section separated from the warhead after burnout, creating two targets.
According to sources at the test site, the Arrow Green Pine radar identified the warhead, but a malfunction in one of the missile's subsystems resulted in an intercept failure.
"The upgrades that we put into the Arrow system proved their capability to handle complicated targets like a separating missile, but a minor problem in the final stage disrupted the full intercept process," says Arie Herzog, head of the Israeli missile defence organisation.
Source: Flight International
