Israel, U.S. Complete Successful Test of Arrow Weapon System
February 10, 2012, 7:48 AM ESTBy Gwen Ackerman and Calev Ben-David
(Updates with comment from ministry in second paragraph.)
Feb. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Israel and the U.S. completed a successful test of the Arrow anti-missile weapon over the Mediterranean Sea, the Israeli Defense Ministry said.
“This was a major milestone in the development of the Arrow Weapon System and provides confidence in operational Israeli capabilities to defeat the developing ballistic missile threat,” the ministry said today in an e-mailed statement.
State-owned Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. and Chicago- based Boeing Co. cooperate on the weapon system. The Arrow is designed to defend against medium-range ballistic missiles, such as those possessed by Iran.
The announcement of the Arrow test comes amid rising tensions over Iran, with U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta expressing concern about a potential Israeli military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities by mid-year.
--Editors: Jennifer M. Freedman, Tim Farrand
To contact the reporters on this story: Gwen Ackerman in Jerusalem at gackerman@bloomberg.net; Calev Ben-David in Jerusalem at cbendavid@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net
