By: D.K. Choudhary
Israeli Air Force Receives First Anti-Missile Interceptors for Arrow 3 System
i. The first anti-missile interceptors for the Arrow 3 Missile Defense System was inducted into the Israel Defense Forces on January 18, 2017 by both Israel’s Defense Ministry and the US Missile Defense Agency during a ceremony held on the Palmachim Air Base.Israeli Air Force Receives First Anti-Missile Interceptors for Arrow 3 System
ii. Each Arrow 3 Missile is estimated to cost about $2.2 million. They have been designed to enable interception of ballistic missiles beyond the earth’s atmosphere. Interception at that altitude enables missiles carrying nuclear warheads to be blocked farther from Israel and stops the enemy missile to harm the territory.
iii. The Arrow-3 interceptor is a part of Israel’s Arrow weapon system (AWS) and has been jointly developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), U.S. Department of Defense’s Missile Defense Agency and Boeing.
iv. With a partial failure in testing in 2014, the system was successfully tested by Israel in December, 2015.
US launches Geo-3 satellite into Space to Detect & Defeat Missiles
i. The US military launched a Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) GEO Flight 3 mission on January 20, 2017.
ii. Under the mission, Geo-3 satellite has been send into the space mounted on Atlas V rocket from Florida where it will detect any possible missile attack to meet national security threats.
iii. The satellite based on infrared technology will serve the defence need of the country that includes missile warning, missile counter-defense, intelligence gathering, and geospatial situational awareness to support troops.
iv. Earlier the Air Force had fired the Geo-1 and Geo-2 satellites into space in 2011 and 2013.
