Global Security Newswire

Israel said an enhanced missile tracking radar functioned as intended during a trial on Friday, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Feb. 1).

The test was cooperative effort with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, according to Israeli defense official Yair Ramati. It was intended to vet the radar used by the Arrow system, which would use interceptors to destroy incoming enemy missiles.

The radar monitored the flight of a Blue Sparrow 2 missile launched "deep within the Mediterranean," Ramati said.

The missile was "representative of potential ballistic missile threats facing Israel," the nation's Defense Ministry said in a release (Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Feb. 10).

The radar "transferred information to the Citron Tree Battle Management Controller, which prepared a simulated intercept solution," Agence France-Presse quoted the ministry as saying.

The trial was the last "prior to delivery of block 4 Arrow Weapons System," the statement added.

"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," according to the Defense Ministry.

Jerusalem's foes today hold "some 200,000 rockets and missiles," Israeli military intelligence head Aviv Kochavi said last week. His nation keeps a particularly wary eye on the missile efforts of Iran and Syria, along with rockets fielded by Hamas and Hezbollah (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, Feb. 10).