Arrow Missile Defense System
Israel's upper-tier ballistic missile defense system, intercepting threats in space and the upper atmosphere. Jointly developed by Israel (IAI) and the United States (MDA). Operational since 2000 (Arrow 2) and 2017 (Arrow 3).
Arrow is Israel's upper-tier ballistic missile defense system — designed to intercept long-range ballistic missiles outside the Earth's atmosphere. Developed jointly by Israel and the United States, Arrow is the top layer of Israel's multi-tier integrated air and missile defense architecture, operating above David's Sling (medium range) and Iron Dome (short range).
Development
The Arrow program began in 1986 as a joint initiative between Israel's Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (then SDIO — the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization). Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) serves as the prime contractor, with Boeing as the principal U.S. industrial partner. The program produced three generations of interceptors: Arrow 1 (technology demonstrator), Arrow 2 (operational since 2000), and Arrow 3 (exo-atmospheric interceptor, operational since 2017).
Arrow 2
Arrow 2 is an endo-atmospheric interceptor designed to destroy incoming ballistic missiles during their terminal descent phase — inside the atmosphere, at altitudes of 10–50 kilometers. It uses a fragmentation warhead guided by an active radar seeker. Arrow 2 is integrated with the Green Pine radar, a powerful phased-array tracking radar developed by IAI subsidiary Elta Systems.
Arrow 3
Arrow 3 is an exo-atmospheric hit-to-kill interceptor — it destroys targets in space, above the atmosphere, during the midcourse phase of a ballistic missile's flight. This gives it significantly greater range and the ability to engage threats before they begin reentry. Arrow 3 uses kinetic energy (direct impact) rather than an explosive warhead. It was first used operationally in November 2023, when it intercepted a ballistic missile above the atmosphere — the first confirmed exo-atmospheric intercept in combat history.
Strategic Significance
Arrow addresses the Iranian ballistic missile threat — the highest-altitude, fastest-velocity layer of the threat spectrum that Israel faces. It is the most technologically advanced component of Israel's defense architecture and one of the most capable missile defense systems in the world. Arrow 3 has also been selected by Germany for its national missile defense shield, marking the system's first export and the largest Israeli defense deal in history.