Israel tested the Arrow “Hertz”  missile defence system Jerusalem – Sona Al-Deek The Israel Defence Ministry stated on Friday that it has successfully tested upgraded radar for the Arrow missile defence system, developed with the United States and designed to intercept projectiles that might be fired at the Jewish state from Iran, according to Israeli media reports.
In the face of Iran's continued pursuit of a nuclear weapon, Israel tested the Arrow “Hertz”  missile defence system on Friday in what officials said was a successful demonstration of the country's ability to defend itself in a future war, Israeli daily newspaper Yediot Aharonot said.
The Arrow's radar and detection system, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) detected the incoming "enemy" missile and tracked it together with the US X-Band radar deployed in the Negev dessert.
The Arrow interceptor was not launched during the test, in line with the parameters of the drill, which was carried out to test the system's overall capabilities in detecting and tracking incoming enemy targets.
The Israeli Defence Ministry said the test was not connected to current events and was part of the Arrow systems annual training regiment, but that it was a significant milestone, as it completes the development of the Block 4 stage of the interceptor, which will be delivered to the IAF soon.
The Arrow serves as Israel's upper-tier missile defense system. Additional layers include the Iron Dome for short-range rockets and the soon-to-be-deployed David's Sling, which is being developed to defend against medium range rockets.
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak praised all those that took part in the successful test. "This is an important technological achievement and an important step in Israel's progress in the field of defense... the successful test demonstrated again, the high technical capabilities of engineers, technicians and employees of the Israeli security industry that participated in the test," he said.
In October or November, Israel and the United States are expected to hold a joint Austere Challenge missile-defence exercise, according to Israeli daily Maariv
Senior American military officers from the European Command are scheduled to arrive in Israel later this month to finalize plans to hold the exercise, which has been billed as the largest joint missile-defense exercise in the countries’ history.